UAE | Government

UAE and France share strong bilateral relations

It started in the seventies when Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan first set foot in Paris and since then, bilateral relations between the UAE and France have gone from strength to strength.

  • By Emmanuelle Landais, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:15 May 21, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, left for Paris on a two-day official visit on Tuesday. Shaikh Mohammad and his high-profile delegation, which includes Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, was seen off by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and a number of senior officials. On arrival in Paris, Shaikh Mohammad was welcomed by French Education Minister Xavier Dracos and other senior officals.
  • Image Credit: WAM

Dubai: It started in the seventies when Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan first set foot in Paris and since then, bilateral relations between the UAE and France have gone from strength to strength.

Education in particular has been a growing sector in the UAE due to a number of French higher education institutions laying their foundations in the emirates.

The visit of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to France for a two-day state visit, is an emphasis of the continued positive ties between the two countries, said Patrice Paoli, French Ambassador to the UAE since 2005.

"It's an important visit in terms of the privileged relationship between France and the UAE," said Paoli.

"Shaikh Mohammad will be meeting with Nicolas Sarkozy on matters that will be revealed after the event. Culturally the Louvre Abu Dhabi project, the Sorbonne and other university projects with the American University of Sharjah are very successful," he said.

The two nations also have a very positive military partnership, he added. "Our relations keep on being enhanced," he said.

Paoli said it was unknown at this stage if other French cities would follow in Lyon's footsteps by reconstructing some of their architectural aspects in the Middle East.

The cultural bond is also visible with Lyon-Dubai City announced earlier this year. The recreation of streets of France's second largest city in Dubai will include public squares, restaurants, outdoor cafes and museums.

Celebration: UAE flag hoisted

The UAE flag was hoisted on Tuesday in Cherbourg's Napoleon Square. Situated in the north west of France and overlooking the French Manch sea, the city of Cherbourg celebrated the military cooperation between France and the UAE.

The celebration was held in the square opposite Cherbourg's municipality, and was attended by Mohammad Abdullah Al Ghafli, the UAE charge' d'affaires, Naval Staff Major General Ahmad Mohammad Al Tunaiji, Commander of the Naval Forces, and other senior UAE experts.

The celebration was attended on the French side by Bernard Cazeneuve, the Mayor of Cherbourg and a number of other senior French officials. Cherbourg is known for its military and marine industries, where its economy relies heavily on the two sectors.

The UAE flag was hoisted by Al Tunaiji and Cazeneuve together with Eskandar Saffa, Head of the Military Naval Industries Company's board of directors.

The mayor of the city thanked the UAE for its distinguished role in boosting the economy of Cherbourg, in the framework of the bilateral economic cooperation between France and the UAE.

- WAM

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