UAE convenes Joint Economic Committee with Slovenia

ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 30th Oct, 2019) Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State, and Miro Cerar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, co-chaired the UAE-Slovenia Joint Committee meeting held in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Al Sayegh noted the strength of the two countries’ bilateral relations, particularly in the field of economic exchange, and affirmed the UAE’s interest in finalising agreements on the promotion and protection of mutual investments.

Al Sayegh also pointed to the growing cooperation that the UAE and Slovenia have fostered in recent years, including increased economic and cultural flows between the two countries, since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992.

"In 2018, non-oil bilateral trade reached US$160.8 million, a 65 percent increase from 2014. Although this is a noteworthy achievement, there remain untapped opportunities to further improve our trade ties," Al Sayegh stated.

Furthermore, he remarked, that the UAE is interested in developing stronger cooperation with Slovenia in vital sectors such as technology, agriculture, chemicals, tourism, and infrastructure.

"For Slovenian businesses in particular, the UAE can serve as a pivotal point for the expansion of trade throughout the middle East and beyond.

Just as Slovenia is a crossroads for trade in Central Europe, the UAE serves as the lynchpin for economic and trade developments not only in the Middle East, but also throughout the broader Indian Ocean region stretching from East Africa to India," Al Sayegh said.

Al Sayegh continued by remarking that the forum provided a valuable opportunity to gain a better understanding of the achievements of the UAE’s and Slovenia’s economic diplomacy and foreign investment approaches.

He also underscored the UAE’s satisfaction at Slovenia’s upcoming participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, which will be the largest cultural exhibition ever staged in the Arab world.

For his part, Cerar affirmed his government’s keenness to strengthen cooperation with the UAE in a variety of fields and stated that the Joint Committee enabled both sides to discuss key economic, cultural, and political issues of mutual interest.

Cerar thanked the UAE for hosting the meeting, which was attended by high-level officials from both sides.