Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of State, participated in the European Union’s Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which was held in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, on Saturday, May 13. The Forum saw the participation of ministers from the European Union, in addition to government officials and experts from the Indo-Pacific region and representatives from a number of regional and international organisations. The Forum follows the meeting held in the French capital Paris last year, which was focused on enhancing cooperation between the European Union and countries in the Indo-Pacific region in a number of priority sectors, such as sustainability, climate change, comprehensive development amongst others, particularly as the Indo-Pacific region is of strategic importance to the EU and its member states. In her speech during the opening session of the Forum, Al Kaabi stressed that the world is experiencing many unprecedented challenges, which are creating opportunities for international cooperation and growth. She emphasised that the UAE is keen to strengthen cooperation with countries, governments and organisations, as it is committed to collective action to ensure a better future for humanity and future generations. Al Kaabi highlighted the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific region, particularly as it represents approximately two-thirds of the world’s population and most of the global GDP, and has some of the busiest and most prosperous maritime trade routes, making it an economic hub of the world. She also highlighted that the region faces geo-economic challenges, which require cooperation with all sides to address. She emphasised that the UAE shares a vision with the European Union to achieve comprehensive economic prosperity in the Indo-Pacific, which is reflected in the increasing number of cooperation agreements and economic partnerships concluded by the UAE with countries in the region, an indication of the country’s commitment to continue a policy of integrated cooperation to achieve comprehensive and sustainable development in many key sectors. Al Kaabi concluded by stating that the UAE is ready to collaborate with partners in the European Union and the Indo-Pacific region to achieve more sustainable and inclusive growth in various sectors, stressing the country’s keenness to develop cooperative relationships that allow for effective bilateral partnerships with different countries and governments in order to share knowledge and experience. Al Kaabi also participated in a panel discussion focused on cooperation to achieve more sustainable and inclusive growth, where she outlined the UAE’s experience in a number of key sectors, including the economy, energy, climate change, and technology, as well as its continued cooperation with all relevant parties, including with the European Union and its member states, to achieve sustainable growth. Al Kaabi said, “The United Arab Emirates has always seen climate action as an opportunity. We have used our ambitions around climate progress to grow and diversify our economy, creating knowledge, skills, and jobs for our young people, while contributing practical solutions to a global problem that affects us all. The UAE is a major global supporter of green infrastructure and clean energy projects worldwide, and has provided more than USD 400 million in aid and soft loans for clean energy projects.” She highlighted the UAE’s efforts to support global climate action by hosting the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in November 2023 in Dubai Expo City, which will focus on implementing climate commitments and pledges, cooperating to take concrete actions, and finding solutions that help address challenges and seize opportunities to ensure a sustainable future for current and future generations. Al Kaabi met on the sidelines of the Forum Oliver Varhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, and discussed with him the development of bilateral relations, the joint agenda between the UAE and the European Union, and the main global challenges in light of the Forum’s agenda. On the sidelines of the Forum, Her Excellency Al Kaabi also met with Tobias Billstrom, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden, and Gordan Grli Radman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, and Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, to discuss collaboration, investment and opportunities for enhancing cooperation at the economic and trade levels, particularly between the European Union and the Indo-Pacific region.

Source: Emirates News Agency