Minister of Economy Discusses Bilateral Relations with Northern Ireland Minister

Dubai-UAE: 17 September, 2014 – His Excellency Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, met with Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, along with a trade delegation to explore ways for promoting economic relations, trade and mutual investments between the two countries. 

During the meeting that took place at the Ministry of Economy offices in Dubai, His Excellency Al Mansouri stressed the need to increase levels of cooperation and develop mutual relations across varied industry verticals. The discussions looked to identify initiatives that would encourage businessmen and investors from the two countries to engage in dialogue through meetings, business fairs and visit exchanges.

His Excellency said: “The UAE enjoys strong ties with Northern Ireland and we are keen step up our collaboration with its government in areas of mutual interest. We believe it is essential for the private sector and business community in both countries to participate actively in the process of building stronger relations.” 

His Excellency Al Mansouri highlighted the UAE’s economic landscape, business enabling legislations and leading position across several global economic and trade indices. The visitors were offered an overview of the UAE’s strong economic capabilities and unique investment climate. 

For its part, the Northern Ireland delegation commended the UAE’s economic achievements and its vision to build a diversified knowledge based landscape. The visitors highlighted the Northern Irish economic experience that is also driven by knowledge as a key component and additionally characterized by SMEs as a crucial contributor to the country’s GDP.  

The meeting concluded with the two sides confirming the importance of boosting relations across sectors such as renewable energy, food, education, and healthcare.