Informal meeting with President of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

The UAE President’s official visit
programme will begin on October 21. The agenda
of his talks with President Vladimir Putin includes the current state
and future development of the multifaceted Russia-UAE
cooperation and current international issues, in particular,
the situation in the Middle East and North Africa.
President
of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Al Nahyan Mohammed bin ZayedPresident of the United Arab Emirates will
also take part in the BRICS Summit in Kazan.
* * *
President
of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, I am delighted to welcome you to Moscow.
All
members of the Russian delegation fondly remember our most recent visit to your
country and the warm welcome we enjoyed in December 2023.
All our
agreements are fulfilled in full accordance with the level of our strategic
partnership.
Russia-UAE
trade has tripled in the past three years. We did notice a slight decline over
the seven months of this year. This matter is for us and for the intergovernmental commissions to discuss.
Nevertheless,
our relations are progressing across all sectors. Our mutual investment has
reached $7 billion. Around 60 projects are funded by our sovereign funds, with
a total scope of funding at $2 billion. Tourist exchanges between our countries
are growing. We pay considerable attention to humanitarian cooperation, holding
cross-days of Russian and Emirati culture. We also pay due attention to education. I will not go into details right now, but we will talk more
specifically about this tomorrow and will visit an educational institution that
is developing thanks to your participation, among other factors.
Thank you
for arriving the day before your official visit to discuss these matters with
me in an informal setting during this business dinner at my residence.
Certainly, we will also touch on the very serious developments in the Middle
East.
I will
also inform you about other complicated circumstances that concern Russia
directly – primarily, the Ukrainian crisis. Speaking of which, I would like to thank you for your role in addressing humanitarian issues, including the latest
exchange of detainees.
Your
Highness, I am delighted to see you here. During our informal meeting today, we
will be able to talk about all matters of mutual interest.
I am happy
to see you. Welcome!
President
of the UAE Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (retranslated): Your Excellency, Mr President, thank you for inviting me to your home.
A personal relationship between us will help us address many issues.
You have
mentioned that trade between our countries has not reached the desired level but
my visit to Russia is strong evidence that there are many opportunities ahead.
Over the past
few years, trade between our countries has tripled. We cooperate in various
sectors and hopefully will further develop and strengthen our bilateral
relations.
We are very
close to each other; my flight today took only four and a half hours. There are
many connections between us, such as culture, traditions and mentality, so we
are not far apart. This creates a strong bridge between our two countries. We
are very determined to enhance our bilateral relations and to strengthen the ties
that we currently have.
Today, we
will discuss many topics and issues, including the Middle East, which we will talk
about in greater detail.
Thank you
once again, Mr President, for inviting me to your home.
Vladimir
Putin: I am very
glad.
<…>