Dubai: The Finnish Prime Minister called for strengthening of the cooperation between the UAE and Finland by building long-term trade relations taking advantage of the strategic location of each country.
Jyrki Katarina, Finland Prime Minister, said: “We don’t only believe in buying and selling goods, but in building long-term trade partnerships with the UAE.”
Pointing to the resemblance between the UAE and Finland, he added that both of the countries’ economies are export driven and dependent on foreign trade and enjoy strategic locations in their respective regions.
The Finnish Prime Minister was speaking at the UAE-Finland Business Forum organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in partnership with the Embassy of Finland in the UAE and FinPro.
Describing the incredible achievement of the UAE, Katarina said; “The UAE’s achievement is no less than a miracle and its peoples’ energy and power of will should encourage others to follow suit.”
He emphasised the need to activate the Finnish-Emirati joint economic committees for enhancing bilateral trade and establishment of joint investment projects in vital economic sectors.
On his part, Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, called for speeding up the free trade agreement process between the EU and GCC countries on an urgent basis in light of the global economic situation and growth shifting from the West to the East.
Pointing to the excellent trade relations between the two countries, Al Mansouri added that the UAE trade with Finland was valued at $500 million in 2011 and expected to grow further through effective cooperation programmes and joint strategic targets.
Highlighting the areas of cooperation between the two countries, he said: “The economic prosperity of the two countries included SMEs, innovations and R&D in line with the UAE vision 2021 which emphasises on gradual transfer to a knowledge-based economy.”
Moreover, Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, the Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Commerce, said that there was tremendous scope to enhance trade cooperation with Finland as “The non-oil trade with the country reached Dh652 million in Q1 2012, making it the 60th country on the list of Dubai’s trading partners,” he added.
Al Ghurair also said that the Forum will lead to a fruitful dialogue for long-term cooperation and enhanced trade ties between the two sides.
