Abu Dhabi: The UAE and Canada has made marked achievements in their bilateral relations since the launch of the ‘Shared Strategic Agenda’ six months ago as both the countries have now set ‘ambitious targets’ for the next six months.

This came in a joint statement issued yesterday by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, and John Baird, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister.

According to the statement, both the countries will substantially expand their bilateral commercial relations in the months ahead. They will launch a process seeking to conclude an agreement to promote and protect investment in each other’s countries.

“Our governments look forward to receiving formal recommendations and announcements identifying specific areas for business-to-business over the next 12 months”.

 

High-level forum

Both the countries will convene the first meeting of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) in the second half of 2014. The JEC is a high-level forum for ministers and senior officials to discuss bilateral commercial relations. The JEC will explore ways and means to further advance bilateral commercial relations in the fields of trade, investment, infrastructure, aerospace, health care, education, food security, the UAE and Canada as regional hubs, and other commercial areas of mutual interest.

“Six months ago, we announced the Canada-UAE Shared Strategic Agenda, which reflects our commitment to work together on issues of common interest. We have made significant progress in the past six months alone and we are setting ambitious targets for the next six months. In addition to advancing our shared interests under the existing three pillars of the strategic partnership (prosperity, security and development), we have agreed on an additional area of collaboration: regional issues

On September 30, Ed Fast Canada’s Minister of International Trade, and Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE’s Minister of Economy, successfully launched the Canada-UAE Business Council (CUBC) in Montreal.

On November 5, Canada announced its support for holding the World Expo 2020 in Dubai if Dubai wins the vote at the Bureau International des Expositions on November 27, 2013, in Paris.

During the next six months, the statement says: “We will foster business-to-business collaboration in key sectors, including the financial sphere, where we are both global leaders. We believe Canada’s world-leading banking sector is a natural partner for the UAE, which is a global leader for Islamic finance.

“Work continues between the Public Safety portfolio in Canada and the UAE Ministry of Interior to strengthen cooperation on police, corrections and border issues. Those efforts, which are the result of direct discussions between our respective ministers, lay the foundation for strong long-term security collaboration between our two countries.

“We will build on this collaboration in the months to come. We will intensify and expand our cooperation in the security sphere, including through cooperation on counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism policy. We will continue to build on our partnership with key institutions based in the UAE, such as the Hedayah Centre.

“We will establish regular high-level consultations on bilateral and regional issues of common interest, at both official and ministerial levels. We will start discussions on a defence cooperation arrangement.

On Iran

The joint statement further reads: “We jointly note the more moderate tone of President (Hassan) Rouhani’s administration and urge him to follow through on his promises but also note that Iran must be judged by its deeds and not its words. Only verifiable, irreversible and measurable progress to resolve nuclear non-compliance will demonstrate Iran’s commitment to a more constructive mode of engagement with the region and with the international community.

 

Egypt

Both the ministers said that the success of the transition in Egypt is a vital concern to both countries. “Canada and the UAE have had a shared assessment of the challenges and opportunities facing Egypt. We are committed to supporting the progress being made on the implementation of the road map and to advancing our common objective of a stable, inclusive, prosperous and democratic Egypt. To this end, Canada and the UAE will explore joint initiatives where we can work together to achieve this.

 

Syria

The joint statement says that Canada and the UAE jointly condemn the violence in Syria and remain resolute that only a political solution will lead to lasting peace.

“We condemn the Assad regime for its use of chemical weapons. We call for an end to violence and the targeting of innocent civilians. We share a grave concern over the increasing radicalisation of the various groups fighting in Syria. We are both invested in working to meet the humanitarian needs of the long-suffering Syrian people and express deep concern at the fast-deteriorating humanitarian tragedy.

“In September 2013, Canada met with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to discuss the benefits of a Canada-GCC Strategic Dialogue. We recognise the growing and constructive role of the GCC in the region and beyond. We look forward to continued Canadian engagement in the GCC.

Both the ministers have asked their senior officials to report back to them in six months on the progress achieved on the agenda they have set on Thursday.