Paris adorned with UAE flags to celebrate the President's visit to France
The French capital, Paris, was adorned with the flags of the United Arab Emirates and the French Republic in celebration of the upcoming visit of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to France tomorrow, Monday, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
During the visit, His Highness will discuss with the French President friendship relations and prospects for cooperation and joint action in various aspects, especially in the fields of future energy, climate change and advanced technology, in addition to strengthening cooperation in the sectors of education, culture and space in light of the comprehensive strategic partnership that brings together the UAE and France.
The two sides will discuss all regional and international issues and developments of interest to the two countries and ways to enhance security and stability in the region.
The UAE has distinguished relations with France in a number of economic, cultural, technological, energy and other fields of common interest.
On the economic level, French exports to the UAE recorded 3.1 billion euros in 2020, while French imports from the UAE amounted to 750 million euros in the same year. The UAE is the third largest country in terms of trade exchange with France at a value of "2.4 billion euros" after the United Kingdom and Singapore. .
The UAE hosts most of the French companies in the Middle East, numbering 600 companies that employ 30,000 people, and their number increases annually by 10 percent.
France is one of the main foreign investors in the United Arab Emirates.. French direct investments in the Emirates amounted to 2.5 billion euros at the end of 2020, while the United Arab Emirates occupies the 35th place in the list of foreign investors in France.. It hosts the largest French community in the Gulf region estimated by 25,000 French citizens.
In the field of energy, France and the UAE recently agreed to organize the UAE-French Energy Days on November 7 and 8, 2022, and affirmed their commitment to the contributions of nuclear energy as a means of decarbonizing through cooperation in the fields of training, research and development between the two countries.
The French Commission for Alternative and Atomic Energy (CEA) and the UAE Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) signed the ICERR agreement in September 2018 with the aim of developing competencies in countries seeking to employ nuclear energy in this field.
The UAE is the first country in the region to use carbon capture technology on an industrial scale and the first Arab country to use nuclear energy without emissions.
The strategic cooperation between Masdar and (ENGIE) to support the green hydrogen economy in the UAE, represented in a project worth 5 billion dirhams (about 1.36 billion euros), shows the efforts made by the two countries in this regard.
On March 31, 2022, Etihad Airways revealed its new Airbus A350-1000 on a special inaugural commercial flight from Abu Dhabi to Paris.
The aircraft, named "Sustainability50", expresses a commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It will join Etihad Airways' industry-leading sustainability campaign as part of a program aimed at decarbonizing aviation.
The technology sector is witnessing cooperation between the two sides, as startups located in Hub71 and some French startups are looking to move to the United Arab Emirates, benefiting from a new partnership between the French investment bank, Bpifrance and Hub71.
In the country, there are currently about twenty incubators located in free zones that represent a group of companies, and in 2017, the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) launched the HIVEN incubator dedicated to financial technology.
The French startup community in the UAE is thriving with more than thirty specific entities united around the “French Tech Hub Dubai UAE” which was named in October 2016.
Several French companies established in the UAE are also involved in digital transformation and are associated with the "French Tech Hub Dubai UAE" initiatives, particularly in the field of clean technologies (EDF, Engie).
In the field of education, the seven accredited French secondary schools in the United Arab Emirates constitute the sixth largest network of French schools in the world in terms of enrollment, with more than 10,000 students.
EM Normandie and ESCP will join Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, INSEAD, Paris 2, and Ecole 42 Abu Dhabi as French institutions with branches in the UAE.
The United Arab Emirates joined the International Organization of Francophonie as an observer member, which has enhanced cooperation between the two countries in culture, education and economic development. The country is home to the largest French and Francophone community in the Gulf region.
A pilot phase program to introduce French in all public schools in the UAE was implemented in 2018. Now, more than 60,000 students are learning French in public and private schools in the UAE.
France and the UAE recently confirmed the joint priority of developing the Arabic language through a bilateral agreement with the Arab World Institute promoting the "International Certificate of Proficiency in Arabic" through the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center to assess competence in Modern Standard Arabic in the UAE.
The cultural field is witnessing cooperation between the Emirates and France, as the Emirates hosts the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, which is a global museum linking East and West. It is unique in the Arab world and quickly gained a great reputation as a forum for cultural exchange, community participation and intercultural dialogue.
In October 2021, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with the Gemme Museum, hosted the “Dragon and the Phoenix” exhibition, which shed light on the cultural dialogue between China and the Islamic world from the eighth to the eighteenth centuries.
The United Arab Emirates provided funding for the restoration of the Napoleon III Theater in the Chateau de Fontainebleau, one of the largest castles in France. It was renamed to bear the name of the late (Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan).
As part of the cultural exchange, French director Pierre Morel directed the Emirati film "Al Kamin", the largest Arab production ever.
On December 3, 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Expo 2020 Dubai and praised the successful organization of the mega global event despite the challenges the world has experienced due to COVID-19.
France took a central position at Expo 2020 Dubai, and French culture and language are seen as a model for cooperation in Abu Dhabi's Economic Vision 2030.
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