Abu Dhabi: Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, has reaffirmed the importance of economic relations between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Malta during the visit of Dr. Christian Cardona, Malta’s Minister for Economy, Investment and Small Business to the UAE.

Al Mansouri received the visiting delegation at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

During the meeting, the two sides expressed interest in collaborating in small and medium enterprises and the renewable energy sectors to provide further impetus to bilateral economic development.

Commending the synergy achieved to date, Al Mansouri pointed out that the openness and flexibility of the two economies make them attractive foreign investment destinations.

The UAE Minister reiterated the importance of allocating joint economic work teams and the establishment of joint ventures according to a time-bound framework for promoting bilateral investments.

Drawing parallels to the growth of tourism and economic sectors in both Malta and the UAE, Al Mansouri said the daily connectivity between the two countries has spurred notable tourist exchanges between both sides.

For his part, Dr. Christian Cardona admired the progress achieved by the UAE, especially in the services sector.

Expressing interest in learning from the UAE’s experience in developing state-of-the-art ports and free zones, he conveyed his country’s desire to replicate the UAE’s global benchmark in government performance.

Dr. Cardona said Malta is keen to acquire best international standards in shaping a knowledge-based economy, referring to the progress made by the UAE in the higher education sector.

Al Mansouri invited the Republic of Malta to participate in the Annual Investment Meeting 2014 to be held during April in Dubai.