Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with New Zealand's prime minister and members of his government yesterday to discuss strengthening commercial co-operation between the two countries.
During the meeting with John Key in Wellington, Sheikh Abdullah emphasized the UAE's desire to further economic trade, WAM, the state news agency, reported.
The UAE was the 19th-most-important trading partner for New Zealand in 2009. The value of exports to New Zealand last year was estimated at Dh1 billion, up from Dh676m in 2008.
New Zealand's major exports to the UAE are milk powder, butter and wood.
Mr Key praised the UAE's investment environment, which he said had attracted a great number of international businesses in various sectors.
Sheikh Abdullah also met with New Zealand's foreign minister, Murray McCully. The two discussed moves to encourage more economic and trade co-operation and more frequent meetings between the interested parties.
Other ministers involved in the talks included Tim Groser, New Zealand's minister of trade, and Heather Roy, the associate minister of defence.
Last October, the New Zealand and Gulf Cooperation Council signed a Free Trade Agreement after six rounds of trade negotiations.
The legal details are being finalised for submission to the Ministerial Conference later this year.
Businessmen from the UAE who accompanied Sheikh Abdullah on the trip also met with their New Zealand counterparts yesterday. During a morning forum organised by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, they discussed opportunities for trade and investment cooperation between the countries.
In his opening speech, Juma Mohammad al Keit, the executive director of foreign trade affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Trade, said the UAE is one of the most important trading partners of New Zealand in the Middle East. The volume of non-oil trade between the two countries is about Dh932m, reported WAM.
Mr al Keit said more investment and trade partnerships should be sought in the fields of energy, tourism, education and agriculture. Alternative and renewable energy represented particularly good potential growth areas, he added.
Sheikh Abdullah's trip to New Zealand follows six days in Australia, where he also met with ministers to discuss strengthening ties.
mswan@thenational.ae
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
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Transmission: seven-speed
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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