Eng Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy, held several bilateral meetings discussing trade and economic ties with senior officials from around the world on the sidelines of the ongoing 7th annual Investment Meeting (AIM 2017) in Dubai, UAE.

The event opened yesterday (April 2) and will conclude tomorrow (April 4), at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The prominent figures he met included Rustam Minnikhanov, President of Tatarstan, as well as the ministers of economy, foreign trade and industry of Moldova, Costa Rica and Panama.

Among the UAE’s representatives were Ministry of Economy officials Abdullah Al Saleh, undersecretary for foreign trade and Industry; Abdullah Sultan Al Fan, assistant undersecretary for industry affairs, and other senior officials and advisors.

During the meetings, Eng Al Mansoori emphasised the UAE's commitment to deepening economic and trade ties with the various countries of the world, citing the UAE’s policy of economic openness policies and its ongoing efforts exerted to further diversify the economy and attract quality investments that add value to the national economy and drive the state’s vision of transforming into a diversified and sustainable knowledge-based economy, said a statement.

In his talks with President Minnikhanov, Eng Al Mansoori explored ways to bring their current economic and trade relations to higher levels reflecting the mutual goals of their countries and their full capabilities, it said.

The two sides emphasised the importance of enhancing their exchange of visits and economic delegations and their participation in economic events organized by the two parties, due to the direct impact of these activities in enhancing communications between their respective business communities, it added.

They also agreed to take a closer look at the major incentives, facilities and investment opportunities their countries offer.

For his part, President Minnikhanov emphasised his country's keenness to advance economic and trade cooperation with the UAE and explore potential bilateral economic and investment partnerships between the public and private sectors to serve their mutual interests.

Al Mansoori also met with Moldova's Vice-Premier and Minister of Economy, Octavian Kalmyk, to discuss prospects for cooperation and ways to explore promising business opportunities in their respective markets. Talks centred on sectors prioritised under the economic agendas of both countries, such as infrastructure, agricultural products, food, and information and communication technologies.

The meeting also followed up to the results of the fruitful visit of a UAE delegation to Moldova at the beginning of this year. Attendees touched on the outcomes of the agreement on a number of steps for further advancing cooperation. These strategic actions include the signing agreements for encouraging and protecting investments, avoiding double taxation, forging a technical and economic cooperation agreement, and extending direct flights between the two countries, the last of which will have a great impact in promoting trade and tourism exchange, said a statement.

Eng Al Mansoori also spoke with Alexander Mora, Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica. They focused on several areas of mutual interest, most notably agriculture, aviation, tourism and infrastructure. The two sides emphasized the importance of exchanging visits at the governmental and private levels to learn about the most important opportunities for establishing partnerships between their business communities, it said.

During the meeting with Augusto Arosemena Moreno, Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Panama, on the other hand, the two sides underscored the availability of numerous investment opportunities particularly in logistics, aviation and tourism which can advance economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service