Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets embarks on a visit in the United Arab Emirates

On 17-19 January, Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets is on a visit to the United Arab Emirates with a 19-member business delegation.

She will visit the Dubai EXPO, take part in a panel discussion organised as part of the EXPO Global Goals Week and attend the events of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, and met with the minister of education, minister of climate and the environment and the minister of state for advanced technology.

Her agenda also includes meetings with the Foreign Minister of UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Speaker of the Parliament of UAE Saqr Ghobash.

The aim of the visit is to reinforce political relations with the UAE and boost business opportunities between the two countries.

"Estonia and the United Arab Emirates are like-minded enterprising countries and boosting bilateral relations contributes to the success of both states. The UAE has been a valuable partner for Estonia among the Gulf States and we are very interested in closer cooperation. I am glad that the Estonian embassy opened in Abu Dhabi in 2019 has raised Estonia's profile on the Arabian Peninsula in a short time. I hope that I can welcome the Foreign Minister of the UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Tallinn soon," Foreign Minister Liimets said.

The minister is joined by a substantial business delegation from Estonia that includes companies from various fields. The minister will open a business seminar of Estonia and UAE and attend a dinner hosted by Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, the President of Sharjah's Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The minister said the visit and the ongoing Dubai EXPO would offer a special opportunity to advance relations between the companies of the two countries.

"Both Estonia and the UAE have been a fertile ground for new companies in their respective regions, and several unicorns have emerged from our countries. States that share an enterprising spirit should create suitable conditions to encourage business between our countries as well. Even today, the volume of trade between Estonia and the UAE has doubled in the past five years, with room for more growth, and the direct flights currently under discussion would certainly contribute to that."

The economic relations between Estonia and the UAE have been boosted mainly by IT companies but the range of fields has grown significantly in recent years.

This is the first visit by Minister Eva-Maria Liimets to the Gulf States and on Wednesday, she will travel to Turkey. The last visit by an Estonian foreign minister to the UAE was by Urmas Paet in 2011.

Additional information:

Mihkel Tamm
Director General
Communication Department
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
[phone]