Australian relations see growth

Dubai: The great distance separating the UAE from Australia has had no impact on trade as the numbers reveal. Two-way trade between the UAE and Australia in 2012 was worth AUS$6 billion (Dh23.2 billion), which makes the UAE the 14th largest trade partner with Australia and the first in the region, according to Pablo Kang, Australian ambassador to the UAE.

“Our bilateral relations have witnessed remarkable progress and steady growth in recent years since the two countries had diplomatic ties in 1999,” said Kang.

Through these ties, the two countries have done much, including reaching agreement on nuclear and aviation cooperation, which reflects the level of strength of relations at the government level.

The ambassador said vehicles, lamb, wheat, barley and alumina (used for producing aluminium) constitute the greater part of imports. Australia on the other hand imports mainly petrochemicals from the UAE. On the aviation front, he said Qantas will fly to London via Dubai instead of Singapore after the Australian airline announced a partnership with Emirates recently. “That is an agreement which will be effective as of April 1, 2013; however, there will be some trial flights before that date where passengers will be travelling from two destinations in Australia,” added Kang.

“Passengers will fly from Melbourne and Sydney to Dubai’s new terminal on board the A380 which accommodate about 450 passengers [with] 14 trips per week to transport almost 6,000 passengers,” said the ambassador. He pointed out that travellers from Australia will get more routes for Europe and the Mena region under this agreement. Emirates Airlines operates 84 flights weekly to Australia, while Etihad Airways operates 28 flights weekly to Australia, making the overall flights 112 per week between the two countries.

On nuclear energy cooperation, Kang said the nuclear deal which was signed in Abu Dhabi after two years of negotiations sets the framework for civil cooperation between both countries. “It is impossible for private sector companies to cooperate with their UAE counterparts in this sector without such agreement. Therefore, such signature was a must to facilitate the trade exchange of nuclear materials and equipment,” explained the ambassador.

He stressed that the signing of the agreement with the UAE came after the UAE signed a number of agreements with other nuclear material and technology supplier.

He pointed out that in accordance with the 15-year deal, Australia, which has the largest uranium reserve in the world and is the third uranium exporter after Canada and Kazakhstan, will export its uranium to the UAE to be used in the peaceful nuclear energy programme.

About 16,000 Australians work and invest in the UAE, 9,000 of which live in Dubai; 6,000 in Abu Dhabi, and a 1,000 in Sharjah and other emirates. The UAE is also home to more than 300 Australian companies, said Kang. Many, he added, invest in education and health care, including the University of Wollongong in Dubai, which is one of the UAE’s oldest and most prestigious universities, and Murdoch University.”