UAE Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Dr Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, has held wide-ranging talks with the UK Minister for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Dr Al Falasi and Lord Gerald Edgar Grimstone discussed the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and expanding economic ties during their online meeting.
They also examined diversifying their partnerships in small and medium-sized enterprises and tourism.
Dr Al Falasi highlighted the UAE’s keenness to strengthen cooperation and develop a strategic partnership between the two countries in advanced sectors.
"The tourism sector is one of the drivers of economic development in the UAE and one of the key areas of cooperation between the two countries. The UAE received around 1.4 million visitors from Britain in 2019, and UK citizens accounted for some seven per cent of hotel guests in the UAE during the same year," he said.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the World Green Economy Organisation (WGEO), has called for stronger international cooperation and investment in critical minerals, describing them as essential to achieving global climate goals and accelerating the transition to clean energy.
The UAE and the United States have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding economic cooperation during a series of high-level meetings in Washington, D.C., led by UAE Minister of State Saeed Al Hajeri.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has signed two strategic agreements with Chinese technology giants Huawei and CASCO SIGNAL to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence, smart transport systems and digital infrastructure across the emirate's future mobility projects.
The UAE has joined 35 other countries in signing the Joint Statement on AI Opportunities during the second Pax Silica Summit in Washington, D.C., reinforcing its commitment to the responsible development of artificial intelligence.
The World Bank approved $1.1 billion in emergency financing for Bangladesh to help secure food supplies, support vulnerable households and businesses due to the rising prices of fertiliser, fuel and food from the Middle East conflict.