Al Mansouri hails 'fruitful Poland visit'

Abu Dhabi: Minister of Economy Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri hailed the recent visit of a UAE delegation to Poland as a valuable step forward in economic relations between the two countries.

Al Mansouri said: "Poland and the UAE share considerable common ground on a variety of important econ-omic issues, and we expect even closer cooperation and more mutual investment opportunities as an outcome of this extremely fruitful meeting. This exercise has underlined the attractiveness of the UAE to foreign direct investment."

He added that UAE enterprise was a key pillar of the national economy and the country's high standing in the region, adding that a framework for a committee, which will involve influential UAE government and private sector companies, would be submitted by the end of the second quarter.

The UAE minister and other UAE officials met with senior representatives of more than 100 top Polish companies. More than half of these companies expressed a keen interest to invest in the UAE.

The UAE delegation also met with senior figures in the Polish government, including ministers of finance, tourism and agriculture. Poland and the UAE have agreed to set up a joint committee to facilitate a closer working relationship on economic and investment-related issues.

Mohammad Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehi, Director General of the Ministry of Economy, said: "The visit has built on the strategic relationship the UAE enjoys with Poland, and enlarged the gateway Poland offers into the European Union, the world's largest economic bloc."

Asim Mirza, UAE Ambassador to Poland, said: "Poland clearly understands the critical importance of the UAE as a trading partner, which is one of the most developed and open economies in the Middle East. We value the active contribution of the UAE Ministry of Economy towards strengthening ties between the two countries, and the UAE's embassy in Poland is committed to tirelessly supporting these efforts."

Participants from the UAE business community in the delegation were enthusiastic about the potential positive knock-on effects on bilateral trade from the visit.

Mohammad Al Qamzi, CEO of ZonesCorp, said: "The visit identified attractive investment prospects in Poland and plenty of opportunities to share experiences and insights, as well as opportunities to attract large Polish companies to the UAE."