Deepening commercial relations between Malta and Dubai

Deepening commercial relations was the main aim of the MaltaDubai Business Seminar, held at Palazzo Parisio on 12 October.

With 44 years of healthy bilateral relations between Malta and the United Arab Emirates, government has ramped up its support for the Maltese business community’s activities in recent years, including a 25-companystrong delegation to Dubai last November and participation in the Gitex and Big 5 fairs.

The minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion Carmelo Abela commented on the many Maltese companies which have been exporting their products to Dubai for years and the Maltese companies which currently operate out of Dubai where, including the rest of the UAE, over 600 Maltese individuals reside. This is facilitated by a semi-direct daily flight between the two countries.

He stated that Malta complements Dubai’s role in the Gulf region as a player in the field of trade and investment. Malta has benefitted from a number of investments from the UAE, especially SmartCity Malta and the telecommunications and hotelier holdings industries.

Organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion, the event was attended by business people from both Malta and Dubai, who attended with a visiting delegation to Malta for two days.

The seminar was also addressed and attended by representatives from Trade Malta, Enterprise Malta, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.