The UAE’s Minister of Economy Abdulla Al Marri will led the UAE delegation to Morocco. Photo: World Government Summit
The UAE’s Minister of Economy Abdulla Al Marri will led the UAE delegation to Morocco. Photo: World Government Summit
The UAE’s Minister of Economy Abdulla Al Marri will led the UAE delegation to Morocco. Photo: World Government Summit
The UAE’s Minister of Economy Abdulla Al Marri will led the UAE delegation to Morocco. Photo: World Government Summit

UAE and Morocco to discuss expanding trade and economic partnerships


Alkesh Sharma
  • English
  • Arabic

A high-level UAE delegation, led by Minister of Economy Abdulla Al Marri, will visit Morocco on Thursday to discuss boosting bilateral co-operation, investment flows and economic partnerships.

Officials from the two countries will explore investment opportunities in various sectors and ways to “strengthen them during the next phase, ensuring growth and prosperity”, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The sectors that the talks will focus on include energy and renewable energy, industry, trade and mining, tourism and infrastructure, information and communications technology, food security, transport and logistics, agricultural technology, entrepreneurship and others that will support the future economy.

The coming visit also aims to “motivate the private sector and entrepreneurs” to contribute to the development of trade and economic partnership between the countries, the statement said.

Non-oil trade between the UAE and Morocco jumped 44 per cent on an annual basis to Dh3.1 billion ($840 million) last year, official data showed.

The UAE has recorded a spike in non-oil foreign trade as it looks to boost international economic partnerships.

Non-oil foreign trade reached a record Dh499.7bn in the first quarter of this year, up more than 20 per cent annually, data from the Emirates’ Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre showed.

The UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with India, Asia’s second-largest economy, in February, which is expected to boost non-oil trade between the two countries to $100bn in five years, from $60bn currently.

Late last month, the UAE also signed a Cepa deal with Israel, which is expected to push the value of non-oil bilateral trade to more than $10bn within five years.

The UAE is also in talks on similar agreements with South Korea and Indonesia.

This week, a senior official UAE delegation, led by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, visited Japan to discuss ways to strengthen economic, energy and industrial co-operation and drive low-carbon growth opportunities.

During the visit to Morocco this week, the UAE delegation will also participate in an interactive session on future investment opportunities, organised by the Investopia summit.

Investopia is one of the events within the first set of the Projects of the 50 developmental and economic initiative announced by the UAE in 2021.

“These will help elevate the strategic relations between the two countries to higher levels of co-operation and integration, as well as utilise Investopia’s global experience in the development of economic and commercial sectors in Morocco,” the statement said.

The visiting UAE delegation comprises several government entities including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the UAE International Investors Council.

Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.

Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.

The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.

if you go

The flights

Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes. 

The hotels 

The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).

RESULT

Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')

About Okadoc

Date started: Okadoc, 2018

Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Healthcare

Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth

Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February

Investors: Undisclosed

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

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Updated: June 08, 2022, 2:17 PM`