Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan held talks with Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands yesterday on bolstering bilateral cooperation and opening up broader avenues of joint economic and investment fields for the best interest of the people of the two countries.
Shaikh Khalifa voiced the UAE's keenness to cement ties with the Netherlands, benefiting from each other's experiences and to transfer technology and know-how through joint ventures.
Recent developments at the regional and international levels and issues of mutual concern were also discussed.
The queen, who is on a two-day state visit to the UAE upon an invitation from Shaikh Khalifa, expressed her happiness to be in the UAE.
"My visit will drive my country to probe into further opportunities of cooperation and partnership with the UAE," she said.
She is accompanied by Prince Willem-Alexander of Orange, his spouse Princess Maximas, and a delegation of top business leaders.
Shaikh Khalifa conferred upon Her Majesty the Zayed Medal of First Order, which is bestowed upon monarchs, leaders and presidents as an embodiment of strong and long-standing relations.
He also conferred the Ittihad Medal on Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima.
Queen Beatrix also conferred upon Shaikh Khalifa a high-rank Dutch medal.
The queen and her entourage toured the Shaikh Zayed Mosque yesterday and will visit Masdar City today, where she will be welcomed by Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade; Dr Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, CEO of Masdar, and senior Masdar executives.
The queen's visit is her 50th state visit since she ascended the throne in 1980.
The queen and her entourage will be heading to Oman tomorrow.
She was welcomed by Minister of State Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi, senior officials and Dutch Ambassador Gerard Michels.
Michels previously said that the Netherlands has been working hard to attract Emirati investors, pointing out that DP World is investing in the latest Rotterdam port expansion, Taqa is developing a huge gas storage project, and Emirates airline has offices in Amsterdam.
In 2010, the UAE's imports from the Netherlands staged a remarkable recovery, growing 136 per cent to about $3.1 billion (Dh11.3 billion), compared to 2009.
Major imports comprised machinery, electrical and electronic equipment as well as mineral fuels, oils and distillation products.
