UAE, EU hold meeting for cooperation arrangement
ABU DHABI: The second Senior Officials Meeting under the framework of the Cooperation Arrangement between the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) of the UAE was held virtually on 3rd March.
The meeting was co-chaired by Mohammed Al Shehhi, Director for European Affairs at MOFAIC, and Deputy Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa in the EEAS Carl Hallergard.
The two sides welcomed progress in the implementation of the Cooperation Arrangement signed in 2018, which contributed to boosting cooperation in a number of policy areas, including economy, agriculture, trade, advanced sciences, renewable energy and climate transition, security and counter-terrorism, and development cooperation and humanitarian assistance.
The UAE and the EU also reiterated the importance of joint efforts to combat COVID-19. Both sides commited to continuing to exchange best practices in pandemic response.
Moreover, both sides noted the importance of Expo 2020 Dubai in further strengthening EU-UAE relations. The EU will participate in Expo 2020 Dubai events and activities in partnership with its Member States, Expo organizers, and other partners.
During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to further facilitate trade and investment cooperation. In particular, the dialogue took place in respect to the two sides’ efforts to remove impediments to trade, to expand investment ties, and to work collaboratively in cuting edge sectors, including, but not limited to renewable energy, food security, space sciences, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and blockchain.
The meeting also allowed both sides to review cooperation to date and jointly identify new opportunities in the security and counterterrorism fields, including in the context of the UAE CBRN Hub and the Hedayah Centre. Both sides agreed to explore additional opportunities to exchange best practices and expertise in security-related activities (notably preventing and countering violent extremism), continue their structured dialogue on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, and deepen cooperation in the area of asset recovery.
Both sides discussed ways to enhance policy dialogue and explore cooperation in the fields of development cooperation and humanitarian assistance, particularly in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Both looked forward to the upcoming fith Brussels Conference on “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region.”