Mohammed bin Zayed and French President take part in a strategic business dialogue

Abu Dhabi, Jan 16, 2013 (WAM) - His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, commended the strong and continually growing bilateral relations that exist between the UAE and France, thanks to the will of the leaders of both countries to boost strategic relations based on mutual respect and interest. Sheikh Mohamed gave the above statement as he joined Francois Hollande, President of France, at the UAE-France Strategic Business Dialogue event. The dialogue was held yesterday at the Emirates Palace and included the participation of high-level representatives from both countries in sectors such as aerospace, transport, water and environment, energy and healthcare. The objective of the meeting was to bring together business leaders from both countries who could identify potential opportunities for greater bilateral cooperation. The French President expressed France's keenness to expand bilateral relations through strategic cooperation in many sectors to achieve the aspirations of both countries. Speaking at the event, Sultan Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and head of the UAE's side to the dialogue, said: "The UAE and France have many shared political, economic and security interests at home and around the world. The strength of our longstanding friendship provides an ideal platform for expanded commercial cooperation between our two countries in the future." Arnaud Montebourg, French Minister of Production Recovery, said, "As the UAE enjoy a strong economic outlook and are committed to a diversified economy, our two countries demonstrate high ambitions in defining concrete objectives in terms of global trade figures, industrial partnership and mutual direct investment. The large business delegation accompanying President Hollande represent major French groups which are strongly willing to increase their involvement and to develop new ways of long-lasting cooperation with their local counterparts". The Strategic Business Dialogue was a key element of the first official visit to the UAE by President Hollande that also included an official state reception and the opening of the World Future Energy Summit. As a result of yesterday's Strategic Business Dialogue, new opportunities for commercial partnership have been identified in a range of sectors. The economic relationship between the UAE and France is strong. The UAE is one of France's largest trading partners in the Middle East and North Africa, attracting a quarter of all French exports to the region. Significant partnerships exist between companies from the UAE and France in industries such as oil and gas, information technology, power and water, transportation and aerospace. - Emirates News Agency, WAM