Emirates Society to improve social and business ties between UAE and UK
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, attended the launch in London of an initiative to foster social and business ties between the UK and the UAE.
The Emirates Society is an initiative by Suleiman Al Mazroui, the UAE ambassador to the UK.
The project wants to promote an understanding of Emirati culture and foster ties between British and Emirati businesses through cultural and social events.
It was launched on Wednesday in central London in the presence of ministers, politicians and representatives of world-renowned brands.
“Collaboration between the UK and the UAE can be seen in all four corners of the UK, from DP World’s London Gateway, to the all-conquering Manchester City football team and Masdar’s clean energy investments in Scotland,” Mr Al Mazroui said.
“These links continue to grow. The society could become the home of cultural events and social occasions, as well as talks by politicians and academics.”
The initiative was welcomed by those with a long-running involvement with the UAE.
Graham Outterside, country director for Rolls-Royce in Abu Dhabi, moved to the UAE 18 years ago.
Mr Outterside worked on the construction of Dubai’s marina and two years ago moved to the aerospace and engine making business.
“Because we are a relatively new organisation in the UAE, we are too dependent on expats,” he said.
The Emirates Society will provide opportunity for the company to meet local talent to train as future leaders in the high-technology aerospace manufacturing industry, Mr Outterside said.
Abu Dhabi’s British Business Group, an association of British businesspeople that works to encourage trade, said that the move was a “great innovation”.
“The world is more and more competitive, so we need to up our game as British businesses,” said Nick Cochrane-Dyet, the group’s chairman.
In light of Brexit, creating new business opportunities outside Europe’s borders has become increasingly important, Mr Cochrane-Dyet said.
Debunking “misunderstandings about the Middle East” that are fuelled by reports of war and chaos is another task that the society will take on.
“The UAE is an amazing oasis of tranquillity in the middle of all this,” Mr Cochrane-Dyet said.
The level of security and tolerance in the country is still not understood by people in Britain, he said.
Mr Al Mazroui also referred to the “strong trading links, and our partnership in the pursuit of peace and moderation in the Middle East”.
Britain is the largest foreign direct investor in the UAE.
Collaboration between the UK and the UAE can be seen in all four corners of the UK ... these links continue to grow SULEIMAN AL MAZROUI UAE Ambassador to the UK