President Sheikh Mohamed and Greek leaders discuss strategic ties in Athens


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President Sheikh Mohamed attended high-level meetings with the president and prime minister of Greece on Thursday.

The UAE President, who is on an official visit to the European nation, was received by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou at the Presidential Palace in Athens upon his arrival.

An official reception was held at the palace, where the anthems of the UAE and Greece were played.

In a tweet, Sheikh Mohamed shared pictures from the reception.

“Today, I arrived in the ancient city of Athens and was pleased to meet President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and members of the Greek government,” he said.

“The UAE is committed to strengthening strategic relations and economic ties with our key partners.”

During the meeting, Ms Sakellaropoulou said both countries shared the same vision concerning peace, security and prosperity in the region.

Sheikh Mohamed expressed his happiness over the development of relations between the two countries, which has continued in recent years.

He highlighted that trade between the two nations grew by 17 per cent, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The UAE President's diplomatic adviser, Dr Anwar Gargash, said Sheikh Mohamed's trip to Athens strengthened a long-standing, strategic partnership.

The two countries explored areas of common interest, including “investment and economic co-operation to facilitating energy transition. Working with our friends for a peaceful and prosperous future”, said Dr Gargash.

Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, Adviser for Special Affairs at the Presidential Court; Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc.

Also part of the UAE delegation are Ali Al Shamsi, deputy secretary general of the Supreme National Security Council; and Sulaiman Al Mazrouei, UAE ambassador to Greece.

Sheikh Mohamed also met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, where they discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance them.

The two leaders exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments of mutual concern and agreed on the need to find peaceful solutions to the region’s conflicts and strengthen international security and stability.

Sheikh Mohamed said he was happy that the UAE and Greece were deepening relations and noted the importance of building on agreements signed by the two sides.

He also stressed the need to strengthen co-operation to address mutual challenges linked to the economy, trade, food security and climate change.

Sheikh Mohamed thanked Mr Mitsotakis for inviting the UAE to the 86th Thessaloniki International Fair, which will be held from September 10 to 18.

The UAE is the first Arab country to be invited to participate as “guest of honour” in the annual event, which dates back to 1926 and is considered to be the oldest international trade fair.

Sheikh Mohamed said a delegation of more than 40 entities from the UAE's public and private sectors would participate.

He also invited Mr Mitsotakis to attend the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (Cop28), which will be held in the Emirates in 2023.

Sheikh Mohamed said the UAE was committed to being an active international player in climate action and expressed the country’s keenness to welcome the world to Cop28.

The leaders also discussed the latest developments related to the €4 billion ($3.99bn) joint investment fund created during Mr Mitsotakis's visit to Abu Dhabi in May, as well as the outcome of a business forum attended by more than 20 leading Emirati companies and more than 50 Greek entities.

They talked about the importance of supporting efforts to find a political and peaceful solution to the Yemeni crisis.

The UAE and Greece established a strategic partnership in 2020 based on a relationship that dates back to 1976, when the countries set up a joint committee for economic, cultural and technical co-operation.

In 2021, the value of non-oil foreign trade between the UAE and Greece reached about Dh2.1bn ($571.7 million), up 67 per cent from 2020, Ministry of Economy figures show.

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

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Citizenship-by-investment programmes

United Kingdom

The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).

All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.

The Caribbean

Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport. 

Portugal

The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.

“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.

Greece

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.

Spain

The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.

Cyprus

Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.

Malta

The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.

The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.

Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.

Egypt 

A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.

Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

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  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

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Founded: 2011

Number of employees: 4

Sector: E-commerce

Funding: Self-funded to date

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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Name: Airev
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Updated: August 26, 2022, 6:49 AM`