He affirmed the continuation of strengthening relations between the two countries towards more diversified, growing and prosperous horizons

Mohamed bin Zayed: France is a friend and strategic ally of the UAE

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, stressed the importance of the relations between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of France, expressing his happiness over the visit he is currently making to the capital, Paris, and meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a post on Twitter yesterday: "France is a friend and strategic ally of the UAE... Our historical relations have been characterized by firm stances and fruitful cooperation in many fields.

Today, I express my happiness at visiting the ancient Paris, and meeting my friend President Emmanuel Macron.. We are continuing to strengthen these relations towards more diverse, growth and prosperous horizons.

The Emirati-French relations are characterized by many characteristics that have given them special importance and pushed them constantly towards growth and progress, until they reached the level of strategic partnership that was reinforced by the convergence of visions between the two countries on current regional and global issues, and the agreement to enhance international security and stability, as well as their growing cooperation in all areas.

The Emirati-French relations derive their strength from the support, follow-up and directives of the leadership of the two countries, represented by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the President of the French Republic, President Emmanuel Macron, as they contributed to the advancement of these relations to unprecedented levels of cooperation and coordination.

Over the past years, the distinguished relations between the two countries have constituted a mainstay for facing various types of regional and international challenges, and played a prominent role in combating extremism and intolerance, and contributed to spreading the concepts of tolerance and coexistence between religions and societies.

The visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the friendly Republic of France sheds light again on the friendship and strategic partnership between the UAE and France, which has become a model for building international relations.

Relations between the two countries date back to before the establishment of the UAE union, as some French oil companies, such as Total, were engaged in oil exploration in the Emirates.

When the union of the United Arab Emirates was established in 1971, bilateral relations began between the two countries. The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may his soul rest in peace, and former French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing laid strong building blocks for strong friendship between the two countries, and these relations were strengthened after The first visit of Sheikh Zayed to France in 1976.

The two countries have close relations at various levels, embodied in the permanent dialogue between the two sides, the meetings at the highest levels between the two countries, the frequent ministerial and governmental meetings, and the visits of parliamentary delegations, which reflects the size of the interest that France, as well as the UAE, attaches to the development of bilateral relations.

In an effort to enhance areas of bilateral cooperation and raise them to the levels of strategic partnership, the two countries established the UAE-French Strategic Dialogue Committee, which began its work for the first time in 2008. The dialogue aims to identify existing and future opportunities and partnerships, and to include continuity of cooperation in existing projects and initiatives, such as economy, trade, investment and culture Oil and Gas, Nuclear Energy, Renewable Energy, Education, Culture, Health, Space and Security, among other sectors of common priority.

Since that time, meetings of the Dialogue Committee have been organized, within which the two parties adopted on June 3, 2020, a new roadmap for their strategic partnership for the next 10 years, i.e. for the period 2020-2030. At the 14th meeting of the Committee, which was held last June in Abu Dhabi, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen The main sectors of bilateral cooperation, such as economy, trade and investment, oil and gas, carbon-neutral hydrogen, nuclear and renewable energy, climate change, education, culture, health, artificial intelligence, food security, financial technology, intellectual property rights, countering money laundering and terrorist financing, and space, In addition to electronic security.

The past years witnessed the signing of dozens of agreements and memoranda of understanding between the two countries in various economic, cultural, military and environmental fields, the most recent of which was 13 agreements signed during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to the UAE last December.

The UAE and France have distinguished economic and investment relations, and the non-oil foreign trade data between the UAE and France reflects the strength and durability of the economic relations between the two countries, which extend for decades, as the total volume of non-oil foreign trade between the two countries amounted to more than 25.2 billion dirhams by the end of 2021. According to the data of the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics.

France is one of the main foreign investors in the United Arab Emirates, and French direct investments in the Emirates amounted to 2.5 billion euros at the end of 2020, while the United Arab Emirates ranks 35th in the list of foreign investors in France.

The two countries pay special attention to the cultural partnership between them, believing in its importance in building bridges of communication between the peoples of the two countries.

During the past years, this partnership witnessed many achievements, represented in the opening of the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, which is the first international museum in the Arab world, and the largest cultural project promoted by France abroad, as well as the Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, which was established in 2006, which represents an agreement Historically, it achieves the common vision between the UAE government and the French government to achieve the best standards in the field of French education in the Middle East.

The two countries played a major role in establishing the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH), and the UAE contributed five million euros to support the Arab World Institute in Paris in 2017, and in the same year the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Hall was opened at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Paris.

In addition, the UAE contributed 10 million euros to the restoration of the Imperial Theater of the Palace of Fontainebleau near Paris, and accordingly the theater was named after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him.

The cultural partnership between the UAE and the French Republic has witnessed important developments in recent years, and in October 2018, the Year of French-Emirati Cultural Cooperation was announced in Paris.

As a result, a French-language radio was launched in the UAE, broadcasting its programs three times a week.

In December 2018, the UAE became an associate member of the International Organization of la Francophonie.

In the field of education, the seven French secondary schools accredited in the UAE constitute the sixth largest network of French schools in the world in terms of enrollment, with more than 10,000 students.

In 2018, a pilot program was implemented to introduce the French language in public schools in the UAE, where more than 60,000 students are currently learning French in public and private schools in the country.

The number of the French community residing in the UAE is about 25,000, which is the largest in the Arab Gulf region. France is keen to participate in various international activities and exhibitions that are held in the UAE.

In this context, its distinguished participation in the "Expo 2020 Dubai" activities came with its own pavilion entitled "Light and Lights", which represented the interface of French vision and skill at the international level.

Mohammed bin Zayed:

"Our historical relations with France have been characterized by firm stances and fruitful cooperation in many fields."

sports partnership

The UAE-French relations are witnessing great momentum at all levels, and this momentum extends to the sports field, which is one of the most prominent features of the stable and mutual relations between the two friendly countries.

Over the course of six consecutive months, at Expo 2020 Dubai, the France pavilion received unparalleled attention, follow-up and attendance, especially after it included a large section to promote the expected historic Olympic sports event.

The showroom of the Olympic project in the French pavilion turned into an impressive station for visitors, which witnessed the use of modern technologies to highlight the French vision adopted by the Paris 2024 Olympics, as well as introducing the Olympic Village and the places that host the global event competitions.

25.2

One billion dirhams, the total volume of non-oil foreign trade between the two countries until the end of last year.

2.5

1 billion euros French direct investments in the UAE at the end of 2020.

25

One thousand people is the number of the French community residing in the UAE, which is the largest in the Arab Gulf region.

60

A thousand students are learning French in public and private schools in the country.

2.46 million French tourists

The tourism movement between the UAE and the Republic of France has witnessed a remarkable growth in the past years, despite the repercussions of the "Covid-19" pandemic.

Last year, the number of French tourists coming to the country increased by 59%.

The Republic of France has also strengthened its position among the top 10 source markets for tourists coming to the UAE in the past years, in light of the country's leading tourism environment and the distinguished tourism destinations and services it provides to its visitors to enhance its attractiveness for tourism as a leading and sustainable tourist destination regionally and globally.

In detail, the total number of tourists from France to the UAE reached 2.461 million during seven years (from 2015 to 2021), according to data from the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center.

The number of French tourists coming to the country was about 348,098 in 2015, and it reached 351,092 in 2016, and it rose to 368,046 in 2017, and it reached 420,077 in 2018, and it reached 463,18 in 2019. This is the highest rate in recent years, while the number of tourists reached 196,032 in 2020 due to the economic closure due to the "Covid-19" pandemic.

With the easing of restrictions caused by the pandemic, the number of tourists from France to the UAE increased by 59%, reaching 311,057 tourists in 2021, compared to 2020.

The number of French guests in state hotels reached 471,092 last year, who spent more than 1,887 hotel nights, while the number of French guests reached about 183.9 thousand in the first quarter of this year, who spent 871.5 thousand hotel nights, according to the data of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center. .

The UAE is a distinct tourist destination for French tourists thanks to many aspects and advantages, including the strategic location linking the East and West, and the strong and supportive infrastructure for tourism.

Abu Dhabi - WAM

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