Brazil and the UAE: there are many bridges spanning the 12,000km between us

We might be 12,000 kilometres apart but the United Arab Emirates and Brazil have more in common than you might think.

Mention Brazil to any Emirati and there is one response you can always count on: football, Pele, Ronaldo – in short, the beautiful game. Emiratis love their football and there are many Brazilian footballers in our own Arabian Gulf League.

We very much admire the world-renowned champion Brazilian national team and you can bet that we will turn out in our thousands to watch them play when they visit Abu Dhabi next month for a friendly match against South Korea.

Sport is a great cross-cultural bridge that spans the 12,000km separating our countries, which is why it is on the list of memoranda of understanding signed in Abu Dhabi this week between Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. However, it is by no means the only link between our two nations, as the high-level nature of this week's delegation shows.

Brazil has always had a special place in the hearts of Emiratis. It was one of the first nations to recognise the UAE upon its formation in 1971. The values of tolerance, acceptance, interfaith engagement and the promotion of religious freedom further unite our two nations.

This year, we mark 45 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries. It is therefore fitting that we were able to host Mr Bolsonaro during his first visit to the Arab world.

Both nations play an important role as a gateway to their wider regions

Investment, trade and tourism have traditionally been the mainstays of our bilateral relationship, with two-way trade worth more than $2.5 billion, and more than 60,000 visits by Brazilian nationals to the UAE each year. The UAE also hosts the largest community of Brazilians in the Gulf, with some 10,000 calling the Emirates home.

Both nations play an important role as a gateway to their wider regions; for Brazil, the UAE serves as the entry point to the Gulf for its agricultural products. Food security is a key issue for the UAE and we see Brazil as a solid, reliable partner.

Likewise, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are the UAE’s gateway to South America, with sizeable levels of investment – estimated at $1 trillion USD – across industries such as renewable energy, medicine, defence and infrastructure, with diversified agriculture and livestock investments also on the horizon. It was promising to see nearly 200 business people attend the recent Brazil-UAE Business Forum in Abu Dhabi to exchange contacts, expertise and ideas.

Doing business will always be important but relations between our countries are now deeper than this and ready to move to the next level. That is why our leaders have agreed to elevate bilateral relations to that of a strategic partnership, which includes peace and security as well as economics, energy, tourism, culture and, of course, sport.

Safeguarding regional and international security through multilateral partnerships is very important to the UAE. This week, both leaders reiterated their commitment to fighting transnational crime and terrorism and establishing military attache offices in both our respective nations’ capitals, in an important step forward in deepening joint security co-operation.

We want to seize the opportunity provided by this firming of ties to further leverage our relationship by pushing into fields such as the environment, science and technology, and even artificial intelligence. Building a knowledge-based economy and adopting modern technologies are an essential part of the UAE’s future government vision and Brazil can play a key role in this advancement.

Earlier this month, the UAE announced that recruitment has begun for the world’s very first university dedicated to artificial intelligence: the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, or MBZUAI, which will open for students from around the world in September 2020.

I very much hope to see students from Brazil making up part of this multinational cadre of young talent to further reinforce the exchange of ideas between our countries.

It is our hope that the UAE’s relationship with Brazil continues to grow in coming years. As Brazil is our gateway to South America, so too do our doors remain open to Brazilians, whose contributions to economic development and commitment to cultural exchange make our nation’s fabric stronger.

Hafsa Al Ulama is the UAE's ambassador to Brazil

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

FIXTURES

Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)

Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)

Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)

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A new relationship with the old country

Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates

The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.

ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.

ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.

DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.

Signed

Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed

THE SPECS

Touareg Highline

Engine: 3.0-litre, V6

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 340hp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: Dh239,312

Under 19 World Cup

Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka

Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies

Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe

Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE

UAE fixtures

Saturday, January 18, v Canada

Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan

Saturday, January 25, v South Africa

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

RIVER%20SPIRIT

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At this rate, Lebanon may not survive to see its 100th birthday

Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn

In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

'Downton Abbey: A New Era'

Director: Simon Curtis

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan

Rating: 4/5

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
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9.30pm: Forever Young