London: Sulaiman Al Mazroui, the newly appointed UAE Ambassador to the UK, believes that the possibility of the UK leaving the European Union will not alter the historical relations that have been fostered between the two countries.
Speaking at his office at 30 Princes Gate in London, Al Mazroui emphasised that the UAE and Britain have long maintained ‘fantastic’ political, economic and cultural relations which he hopes to develop further.
“We believes that there will be a lot of opportunities should Britain leave the European Union, particularly in areas like medicine, education etc. and we are confident that the UAE will maintain even better relations with the British people,” he said.
“Obviously, Brexit is a major source of concern for some given the uncertainty associated with it, and while we believe that there will inevitably be positives and negatives as a consequence, we will always be looking to build on the positive side.”
Al Mazroui, who assumed office on May 31, 2016 describes himself as “brand new fresh” ambassador with a mission to shift the traditional focus from an embassy with a diplomatic agenda to one whose goal is achievement.
“These are early days but I already have a plan and I have set up a work group whose slogan is ‘One Team for Achievement’,” said Al Mazroui, who previously held the position of UAE Ambassador to Belgium as well as headed the UAE Mission to the European Union between 2011-2016.
“While the aim will obviously be to increase the volume of bilateral trade between the UAE and the UK from 12.5 billion [euros] to 25 billion by 2020, we will also try to find achieve goals that will benefit both countries.
“The volume of trade between the UAE and Europe is around euro 50 billion but to achieve a target of 25 billion with Britain will be unprecedented.”
Since the UAE’s foundation in 1971, the UK has been a steadfast and valued friend of the UAE and the two countries enjoy a thriving bilateral relationship covering shared economic, strategic and cultural interests, he said.
There are over 100,000 British citizens residing in the UAE and it is estimated that over 60,000 Emiratis visit the UK each year travelling on the over 170 flights each week operated by Emirates, Etihad Airways and British Airways. In turn, over 1 million British visitors travel to the UAE annually.
Al Mazroui played a major role in securing a Schengen visa-waiver for UAE citizens, the first by an Arab country. The UAE is the UK’s 14th largest market for exports worldwide while imports from the UAE into the UK are valued at over 1 billion pounds (Dh4.8 billion).
“Hopefully we will work towards better results and bring more achievements that benefits both the UAE and UK,” said Al Mazroui, who throughout his career in the UAE held esteemed positions as chairman of the Bankers’ Business Group in Dubai, chairman of Dubai Transport Corporation, general manager of Group Corporate Communications at Emirates NBD and also served as an executive member of the Supreme Committee of Al Tomooh Finance Scheme for Small National Businesses.
In addition, he was a member of the board of directors of Diners Club (UAE), Network International, Emirates Islamic Bank and Dubai World.
