Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva arrived in the United Arab Emirates
09 April 2018 News
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva arrived in Dubai, where she kicked off her work visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). During her visit, she will open the Republic of Bulgaria’s embassy in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the federal monarchy.
The purpose of this visit is to further solidify mutual trust in the context of the newly active political dialogue between the governments of the two countries, and to step up their cooperation in the spheres of security, the economy, high tech, and tourism.
The discussion points include the international EXPO 2020, which is to take place in Dubai, and in which Bulgaria is ready participate.
The stepping up of bilateral cooperation owes much to the great Bulgarian community in the country (around 7000 people), but also to the opening of the Bulgarian embassy in Abu Dhabi. Although Bulgaria and the UAE established diplomatic relations as early as 19th of October, 1991, Bulgaria did not have an embassy in the UAE. This limited the avenues for developing political ties between the two countries. More active relations began when the Bulgarian consulate general in Dubai opened in 2001. In the 1980s, a Bulgarian trade centre was operational in Dubai but it ended its operation following a government resolution of December, 2001.
In recent years, the relations between Bulgaria and the UAE have grown increasingly close. The latest diplomatic meeting between the two countries took place in November, 2017. Then, Sofia hosted a delegation whose leader was the UAE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sultan Al-Shamsi. The guests had meetings in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of the Economy, and in the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The purpose was for them to lobby in favour of Bulgaria’s participation in EXPO 2020.
Economic relations have also intensified. In 2017 trade flows between the two countries amounted to $ 202.5 million, the Bulgarian positive balance being $ 141.3 million.
In 2015 in Dubai, during the GITEX 2015 information and computer technology expo, sixteen Bulgarian companies in the field presented their products and services. In 2017, eight Bulgarian start-ups took part in a start-up expo entitled Gitex Technology Week. A year earlier, six Bulgarian companies working in the food industry had taken part in a specialised international expo entitled Gulfood 2016. A Bulgarian company has assembled drills within the framework of a joint enterprise in the Jebel Ali free economic area in the Emirate of Dubai.
UAE investment in Bulgaria for the 1996-2017 period amounted to € 89.24 million. This ranks the UAE 37th based on the amount of foreign direct investment in Bulgaria, and sets avenues for the development in this area.
In recent years, cooperation in the sphere of tourism has seen good prospects. Since 2013, a regular airline has functioned between Sofia and Dubai, and it has been operated by two low-cost airliners. Signing an EU-UAE agreement to exempt UAE nationals from short-stay visas would be another prerequisite for growth in the number of tourists.