UAE and Colombia seek to establish trade ties

Bogota, Colombia: Colombian President Alvaro Uribe received here yesterday at the Presidential Palace Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, who presented to him a letter from President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Shaikh Abdullah also conveyed to the Colombian President greetings from the UAE President and the latter's wishes for more progress and prosperity for Colombia and its people.

The Colombian President also greeted the UAE President through Shaikh Abdullah. President Uribe underscored his country's commitment to boost ties with the UAE, which, he said, his country regards as a very important country.

The two sides held a meeting. The UAE side led by Shaikh Abdullah, flanked by Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State, and Khalid Al Gaith, Assistant Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs, included UAE private and public sector representatives, while the Colombian side was led by Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism Louis Gulmero.

They discussed ways to establish trade and econ-omic relations and business contacts between companies of the two countries in view of the deep belief of the two countries that the private sector plays a vital role in boosting bilateral relations by establishing joint ventures and other economic activities.

The UAE minister said such a meeting underscores the commitment of the two countries, their private sectors and businessmen to find appropriate mechanisms.

He called for the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two sides to boost trade through agreement to prevent double-taxation and protect investments.

Shaikh Abdullah pointed out that the visit will contribute to the opening of new avenues of bilateral cooperation and establishment of a new framework for cooperation in agriculture, energy and renewable energy.

The UAE Foreign Minister also met with his Colombian counterpart, Jaime Bermudez, and discussed ways to boost cooperation in various areas .

He expressed profound gratitude to the Colombian government for its support for Abu Dhabi, which enabled the UAE capital to win the bid to host the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).

He invited his Colombian counterpart to attend the Irena conference, scheduled for January in Abu Dhabi.

For his part, the Colombian Foreign Minister said his country was determined to open its embassy in Abu Dhabi and boost air transport links.

Boosting relations

Ecuadorian Vice-President Lenin Moreno Garces received here yesterday visiting UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

They discussed ways to boost relations between the UAE and Ecuador and the mechanism to boost those ties, particularly in economy, trade and investment. They also exchanged views on a number of issues of mutual interest.

The Ecuadorian Vice-President warmly welcomed Shaikh Abdullah and praised the UAE for achieving great economic development. He expressed the hope that the existing ties between the two countries would witness greater growth and development.

Shaikh Abdullah conveyed greetings from His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the latter's wishes for more progress and prosperity for Ecuador and its people.

The Ecuadorian Vice-President also conveyed through Shaikh Abdullah reciprocatory greetings to his UAE counterpart. He underscored his country's commitment to boosting ties with the UAE.

The two sides held a meeting during which they discussed relations in investment in agriculture, economy, trade and joint ventures. They also discussed sharing of experience and ways to boost these ties in the future.

The UAE minister gave its Ecuadorian host a detailed briefing about the advantages of the UAE's investment climate, including the industrial, tourism, health, construction, telecommunications, financial services, roads, energy and renewable energy sectors, saying that Ecuadorian investments are highly welcome in the UAE.

They reviewed potential areas of investment and how to develop and build cooperation in joint venture projects by encouraging the proactive involvement of the private sectors and businessmen from both countries to tap effectively investment opportunities in the two countries.