Abu Dhabi: Luxembourg has opened its first embassy in an Arab country in Abu Dhabi.
The embassy and the Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office in Abu Dhabi were officially inaugurated on Sunday by Jean Asselborn, Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg, and Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Crown Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, Jeannot Krecke, Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade of Luxembourg; and Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, were also present at the opening ceremony, an embassy press statement said.
Cooperation
Shaikh Abdullah said in his speech that the opening of the embassy will promote political, economical and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
He stressed that the UAE is the gateway for Luxembourg to the Gulf, the Arab world and the Middle East and for the UAE, Luxembourg is the gateway to the European continent.
Free trade area
He also stressed the importance of establishing a Gulf-EU free trade area and expressed the need to reach such an agreement.
Asselborn said the UAE definitely has the potential to become Luxembourg's bridge to the Gulf region.
He said Luxembourg could very well serve as the UAE's gateway to the European Union in many areas.
As a founding member, Luxembourg has an excellent knowledge of the European Union's policies and has always been known for its openness and cultural diversity, he said.
Diplomatic relations
Georges Faber, Ambassador of Luxembourg to the UAE, said that the opening of an embassy in Abu Dhabi comes on the top of more than 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
