UAE, Slovenia explore ways to enhance trade cooperation

The two ministers discussed frameworks for the development of the existing economic partnership, the expansion of areas of cooperation, and the opening of direct channels of communication between the UAE private sector and its Slovenian counterpart. In addition, they explored the means to develop the volume of intraregional trade and double the movement of imports and exports in vital sectors of common interest, apart from the diversification of qualitative and future investments over the coming period. These investments will be focused on the health, logistics, information and communication technology, e-commerce, tourism, real estate activities, financial services and insurance, and agricultural technology sectors. Furthermore, the discussions covered ways to improve air connectivity between the two countries by increasing the number of direct flights.

Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi underlined the strength of the growing economic partnership between the UAE and Slovenia and the importance of enhancing joint economic cooperation through the Joint Economic Committee and the agreements signed between the two friendly countries. He also noted that the UAE is keen to advance cooperation with Slovenia in many vital sectors such as food security, agriculture, technology, infrastructure, tourism, and family companies, and take advantage of Slovenia's strong industrial base in many sectors.

The UAE minister further expressed confidence in the efforts exerted by the two countries to pave the way for broader prospects for cooperation in the next phase, which will be reflected in the growth in the volume of trade and the enhanced presence of UAE exports in Slovenian markets. These efforts will also lead to the establishment of quantitative and qualitative trade and investment partnerships between the UAE business community and its Slovenian counterpart, he said, noting the importance of capitalizing on all available opportunities in the two countries’ markets. The UAE’s positon as a vital trade gateway for Slovenian exports to enter the Asian and Middle Eastern markets and Slovenia’s strategic location in the Eastern European region must be capitalized on to achieve growth in the bilateral economic partnership, he added.

Al Zeyoudi pointed out the importance of Expo 2020 Dubai in strengthening economic cooperation for all participating countries in general. He called on the Slovenian business community to take advantage of the golden opportunity offered by the Expo and build fruitful partnerships for the future in various areas of the economy, business, trade, investment, talent attraction, tourism, and culture.

Zdravko Počivalšek said: “The economic cooperation between the two countries continued its momentum and pace of activity despite the impact of Covid-19 in all sectors globally. In the coming period, we will strive to accelerate this momentum by deepening economic cooperation with the UAE, and by enhancing the access of our business communities to the markets of the two countries. This will enable them to explore further investment opportunities and sign economic agreements that contribute to the growth of trade and investment exchanges between the two friendly countries.” The Slovenian minister also praised the excellent organization of Expo 2020 Dubai, highlighting his country's active participation in the global event, with its pavilion organizing more than 11 conferences and business forums during this period.

The non-oil trade between the UAE and Slovenia grew by 23% in 2021 compared to 2020, also outperforming the pre-pandemic year of 2019 with a growth of about 13%, and reflecting the strength and vitality of relations between the two countries.