The representatives of the governmental and semi-governmental bodies as well as the private sector companies in Abu Dhabi began their meetings with the Japanese companies today at Otani Hotel in Tokyo. The meetings are held by Abu Dhabi Invsetment Office in which over 60 individuals representing 16 governmental bodies and 15 private sector companies participate.
The governmental and semi-governmental bodie held over 200 joint meetings with around 49 Japanese companies that specialize in technology, investment, commercial brokerage, energy, industry, infrastructure, services and other areas
His Excellency Khalid Imran Al Ameri, the UAE Ambassador to Japan, said in a statement that the visit that 16 governmental bodies and 15 private sector companies conducted to Tokyo as part of the program run by Abu Dhabi Investment Office, which aims to attract foreign investments to the Emirate, is very important, especially that it came immediately after the successful visit of His Excellency Shinzō Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, to the UAE during which the two countries announced their extensive strategic partnership. This partnership will pave the way for a new era of the bilateral relationships between the two countries in the various political, economic, cultural, security and other fields.
Al Ameri emphasized that the strategic partnerships between Japan and the UAE will help build strong ties in the various political, economic, cultural and other fields on the long run. He also pointed out that Abu Dhabi Investment Office’s program in Tokyo reflects the desire of Abu Dhabi’s government and the UAE government in general to establish a real strategic partnership between the two sides, one which focuses on reinforcing mutual cooperation and creates investment opportunities in vital sectors, such as energy, industry, education, health, tourism, technology and others.
Moreover, Al Ameri stated that the UAE is the second biggest exporter of energy to Japan, accounting for over a quarter of Japan’s energy needs, which motivated the Japanese government to reinforce its strategic partnership with the UAE and expand it to include other vital sectors as well.
He also mentioned that there are many crucial partnerships between the private sectors of both countries, most notably their partnership in the energy sector, which are considered an important foundation for mutual economic cooperation. He also pointed out the success that was achieved through the partnership between GV Company in Japan and Emirates Steel, in addition to the continuous cooperation between the two sides in the field of education and human resources development through UAE student missions to Japan.
In this regard, Al Ameri added that there are currently 400 Emirati students and trainees in Japan, 79 of whom are university students, which pushed the two sides to work on considering expanding their cooperation in the educational field by attracting Japanese investments in the educational field in the UAE by creating alliances between academic institutions in both countries.
Concerning the efforts to attract Japanese companies to the UAE, Al Ameri said that the Japanese market is huge and is highly competitive for the local companies which means that foreign markets can be beneficial in the UAE. Such companies can take advantage of the UAE’s geographic location in the region and the country’s features that turned it into a regional hub with respect to trade and business.
In this regard, Al Ameri praised the efforts of Abu Dhabi Investment Office in organizing many government-level programs and visits in Abu Dhabi and the private sector companies, and pointed out that this visit is the first of its kind.
Furthermore, Al Ameri mentioned that these efforts focus on attracting Japanese investments to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the areas of infrastructure, oil and gas, technology, transport and education. He also explained that the visit that HE Shinzō Abe conducted to the UAE lately has paved the way for a new era of bilateral political, economic, cultural and tourism relations between the two sides. Such relations can be utilized and invested to help bring benefit to both countries and increase investments in the UAE.
Moreover, he said that the two national airlines in the UAE, “Emirates and Etihad” airways have played a major role in facilitating the commercial and investment exchange between the UAE and Japan thanks to the direct daily flights conducted between the two countries. These flights helped reinforce tourism and facilitate communication between the business sectors, businessmen and investors in both the UAE and Japan.
Among the most important reasons that helped develop the relationships between Japan and the UAE was the decision that the governments of both countries took to exempt their citizens from the “entry visas” thanks to the efforts of the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by His Highness Sheikh Abdall Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as part of His Highness’s keenness to provide all kinds of care and comfort to the citizens wherever they are.
Finally, Al Ameri emphasized the importance of the historic announcement of the two countries which they made during the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to the UAE. The two sides announced a long-term strategy for mutual cooperation between Japan and the UAE which will help establish more advanced relationships between the strategic partners in the governmental and semi-governmental bodies and the private sector companies in both countries under the umbrella of the UAE-Japan Joint Economic Council.