Dubai Multi Commodities Centre’s (DMCC) executive chairman Ahmed Bin Sulayem recently took part in a UAE trade delegation, organised by Dubai FDI, to Canada to enhance further bilateral trade between the countries.

The UAE officials visited Montreal and Toronto, said a statement from DMCC.

Bin Sulayem held a series of meetings with senior municipal and provincial officials, which was attended by representatives from leading private sector organisations, it said.

The purpose was to highlight DMCC’s position as a gateway to global trade, which companies from Canada can utilise as a platform to access emerging markets across Africa, India and East Asia, it added.

In a meeting hosted by the municipality’s trade council, Montreal Intentional, UAE Officials and the Mayor Denis Coderre discussed the important role that the UAE plays in Canada’s foreign trade as its 15th largest export market.

The UAE’s strategic geographic position as a re-export hub and its ability to facilitate access to emerging markets are the principal reasons driving foreign trade.

Bin Sulayem said: “The UAE sits at a strategic global crossroads between East and West, and North and South, and provides direct access to some of the world’s most dynamic emerging economies.”

“Speaking on behalf of DMCC, our dedicated infrastructure and regulatory framework can facilitate significant value addition for Canadian companies looking to expand their reach to high-growth m arkets and access promising new opportunities,” he said.

“We welcome close collaboration with decision-makers in Montreal, Toronto, and across Canada to enhance trade flows through Dubai and enable Canadian businesses to grow further,” he added.

The delegation met with the Christine St-Pierre, Quebec’s Minister of International Relations in Montreal; and sector specialists for the Ontario Government’s Ministry of International Trade; and with representatives from leading Canadian companies in the aerospace, financial, legal and medical sectors, said a statement.

Throughout the mission, participants discussed how stakeholders in each country could better identify additional opportunities for collaboration, it said.

Al Hinton, advisor at Dubai Investment Development Agency (Dubai FDI), Department of Economic Development, Dubai, said: “The UAE is an important global partner for Canada, and our relationship is deepening.”

“Canada’s exports to the UAE are continuing to rise, growing 14 per cent annually according to the most recent data, and UAE investments into Canada have topped Dh110 billion ($29.9 billion),” he said.

“For Canada, the UAE offers considerable potential and opportunity beyond capital investment. More than 150 Canadian companies have based their regional headquarters in the UAE, and we are keen to identify further opportunities to create an even more rewarding proposition,” he added.

Bin Sulayem said: “At our organisation, we have created an environment where businesses from across the globe can flourish.”

“We have built an ecosystem of physical, financial and digital infrastructure as well as regulatory frameworks, services, and expertise needed to build a marketplace for success,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service