Chilean President meets representatives of major UAE companies

The meetings took place during a roundtable session at the Emirates Palace Hotel as part of the official state visit of the President of Chile to the UAE and followed the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two nations.

In light of the signing, the roundtable aimed to review opportunities for cooperation and building trade and investment partnerships between the private sector and business communities in the two countries.

The President of Chile thanked the leadership, government and people of the UAE for the warm reception and hospitality experienced and expressed his happiness with the continuous developments in the friendly relations between the two friendly countries.

He said, “I firmly believe that when two countries truly understand each other’s beliefs, people, culture, and history, they can collaborate more effectively. I hope this visit serves as a significant step toward closer ties, shared experiences, and increased trade and investment between Chile and the Emirates.”

For his part, Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, in a speech delivered at the beginning of the roundtable, welcomed the President of Chile and his accompanying delegation to the UAE, highlighting the friendly relations shared between the two nations which have deepened in recent years owing to the shared vision of the leaderships of both countries.

Dr. Al Zeyoudi also expressed optimism about the visit of President Boric, stating that the signing of cooperation agreements and memorandums of understanding heralds a new promising phase in bilateral relations. Furthermore, Zeyoudi underscored the role of the CEPA in stimulating trade and investment flows and during his address called on the private sector to maximise anticipated benefits of the deal.

Al Zeyoudi said, “Our CEPA agreement is designed to enhance trade and investment across the whole spectrum of economic activity. But ultimately, it’s not the policymakers who will deliver these results – it’s the energy, agility and ambition of the private sector and meetings such as the UAE-Chile Roundtable that are key to setting the direction for our success.”

Mohammed Hassan Al Suwaidi, Minister of Investment, affirmed the promise offered by South America as the UAE continues to explore investment opportunities in strategic markets around the world. He said, “The strategic alliance between the UAE and Chile, fostered by our CEPA, will create a robust investment corridor to South America. Together, we aim to achieve shared development objectives and open promising avenues for UAE companies to explore new markets.”

Reem Al Hashimy echoed these sentiments, stressing the promising prospects for economic growth and prosperity through integration and partnership. Al Hashimy also highlighted the strategic location of both countries as gateways for trade and investment into neighboring regional markets.

"We believe this visit and this important meeting will help us achieve the common will of the leaderships of the two countries to advance the friendly relations and cooperation between the UAE and Chile to broader horizons, in line with our respective development goals," Al Hashimy said.

The meeting was attended by a senior group of UAE officials including Mohamed Al Neyadi, UAE Ambassador to Chile, and Mohamed Al Hawi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Investment, in addition to representatives of 20 Emirati companies operating in various key sectors.

On the Chilean side, the meeting was attended by Alberto van Klaveren, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Nicolas Grau, Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism; Jessica Lopez, Minister of Public Works; Patricio Diaz, Ambassador of the Republic of Chile to the UAE; and heads of major Chilean companies as well as representatives of several business organisations.