A meeting between Minister of Foreign Trade of the UAE and Tunisian Prime Minister

During the meeting, Sheikha Lubna conveyed to the Tunisian Prime Minister greetings from President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. “The visit of a 32-strong trade and business delegation reflects the outcome of the UAE visit by the Tunisian Prime Minister early July and also expresses the UAE leadership’s interest in backing the transitional period in Tunis towards stability and prosperity,” Sheikha Lubna said. She noted that UAE investors are willing to give a boost to the Tunisia’s projects and tap the investment opportunities to expand the presence of UAE investments in Tunisia. The minister also said that trade relations between the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia saw significant growth over the past few years. In 2010, non-oil trade exchange between the two countries grew by 69% to reach US$ 153 million, compared to US$ 90 million in 2009, placing Tunisia at the 86th place in the country’s non-oil foreign trade structure. This growth, she added, indicates available trade opportunities to be tapped to further advance the relations with Tunisia during this historical transitional period. For his part, the Tunisian Prime Minister welcomed the visit of the UAE delegation to Tunisia which he said reflects an interest to stand with the Tunisian people. Welcoming UAE direct investments to Tunisia, Essebsi said his UAE visit early July was completely successful thanks to the UAE’s interest in backing the causes of the Tunisian people. The Tunisian government, he further said, is working on removing all barriers to UAE investments and opening more opportunities for UAE companies planning to operate in Tunisia. Essebsi also noted that the Tunisian government’s priorities are currently limited to advance the living standards of citizens, improve the educational system and bolster the process of development. First Vice President of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI) Khalfan Juma’a Al Ka’abi, said UAE business men are willing to tap investment opportunities on the offer in Tunisia. Present the meeting from the UAE side were UAE Ambassador to Tunisia Abdullah Al Suwaidi, Assistant Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs Khaled Ghanem Al Ghaith, Assistant Undersecretary for Foreign Trade Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Trade (MoFT) Juma’a Al Kait, President of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Abdul Rehman Saif Al Ghurair, Secretary General of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) Abdullah Sultan Al Ameen and others. Tunisian Minister of Trade ‘&’ Tourism Minister Mahdi Hawas and Tunisian Ambassador to the UAE Mohammed Al Sudairi.