UAE, Mexico hold discussions on strengthening economic cooperation

Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy, discussed ways to further develop economic cooperation frameworks with Mexico during a number of bilateral meetings held with Mexican ministers and other government officials, in connection with the UAE delegation’s participation in the "Mexico-UAE Business and Trade Forum" hosted by Mexico.

The UAE delegation to Mexico and Colombia, led by Al Mansoori, consisted of federal and local government officials and select business owners and representatives from the UAE’s private sector.

The visit was attended by Ahmed Hatem Al Menhali, UAE Ambassador to Mexico, and Francisca Elizabeth, Mexican Ambassador to the UAE, while the UAE delegation included Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Saleh, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade Affairs, and Mohammed Nasser Hamdan Al Zaabi, Director of the Trade Promotion Department at the Ministry of Economy.

During Al Mansoori’s meeting with Miguel Torruco Marqués, Mexican Minister for Tourism, both sides discussed ways to boost tourism exchange between the UAE and Mexico by encouraging tourists.

Al Mansoori emphasised that tourism development is a major focus area for the UAE, in view of the sector’s potential to drive economic diversification efforts in order to achieve sustainable development.

Marqués welcomed the UAE delegation and pointed out that the ongoing construction of a new airport in Mexico City, set to be completed within two years will enable the UAE’s airlines to strengthen the network to Mexico and the Caribbean.

During his meeting with Ernesto Fernandez, Deputy Minister of Economy of Mexico, on behalf of the Minister of Economy, Al Mansoori discussed the development of joint action plans in the fields of agriculture, food security, renewable energy, industry, innovation, technology and logistics.

Al Mansoori also held discussions on the importance of cooperation efforts between the two countries in priority sectors such as food security, innovation, renewable energy, SMEs, logistical services, and air transport with Alfonso Romo, Chairman of the Economic Development Council.

Al Mansoori met with Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubón, Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs, to discuss the importance of enhancing coordination to familiarise stakeholders from government agencies and the private sector on both sides with prospects for cooperation, exchange of experiences, promotion of business opportunities and promising projects.

"The UAE government remains keen to develop and diversify aspects of cooperation with our partners in Mexico at the government level and also by encouraging Emirati investments and business activities in Mexican markets and the whole of Latin America," he added.

Fernandez said in his speech that the UAE has become a model for progress, diversification of economic resources and accelerated development in the areas of investment and trade exchanges in the Middle East region.

Al Menhali expressed his optimism over the growth of bilateral relations and economic and trade ties between the UAE and Mexico spanning a wide range of vital sectors in the next phase.

During the forum, the UAE and Mexico discussed enhancing investment opportunities, the establishment of joint projects, boosting of tourism exchanges, development of partnerships and the exchange of experiences in the field of SMEs and finding channels to connect business leaders from both countries.

The forum, which was attended by nearly 250 officials, investors and businessmen from both countries successfully hosted an array of B2B meetings between the representatives of Emirati companies and their Mexican counterparts.

Furthermore, it featured a set of presentations by the UAE and Mexico on the most prominent sectors of cooperation and partnership opportunities during the next stage. From the UAE’s side, Jamal Al Jarwan, Secretary-General of the UAE International Investors Council; Abdullah Al Maeeni, Director-General of Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology; Ahmed Al Mutawa, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Terminals; Mohammad Juma Al Musharrakh, Chief Executive Officer of the Sharjah FDI Office; Ahmad Hamza, Executive Director free zone, DMCC; and Astrid Shadid, Regional Director, Latin America and the Caribbean Affairs of Annual Investment Meeting, delivered presentations.

The UAE delegation included representatives of governmental, semi-governmental and private sector entities, most notably the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Dubai FDI, Mubadala, and Emirates Global Aluminium, in addition to representatives of businesses in the food industry, general trade, consulting and services.

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