The United Arab Emirates hosted the second session of the UAE-Colombia Joint Committee in Expo City Dubai, on the sidelines of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28).

The Committee was co-chaired by Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, and Álvaro Leyva Durán, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia.

Senior diplomats and government officials from both sides participated in the Joint Committee meeting, which discussed several sectors and areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment, energy, agriculture, food security, health, culture, science, education, and transportation.

Al Hashimy reaffirmed the importance of the Joint Committee in enhancing cooperation between the two countries, with the UAE particularly focused on trade, and emphasised the significance of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Colombia, with terms recently concluded on the first such bilateral trade deal between the UAE and South America.

The two countries ar
e anticipating a new era of collaboration that will achieve growth for both nations.

In her opening statement, Al Hashimy commended the substantial growth in non-oil trade between the UAE and Colombia which exceeded US$385 million in 2022, and investment and trade relations in a number of key sectors, including energy, climate change, agriculture and food security. The UAE is now looking forward to developing and exploring further opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.

For his part, Durán emphasised Colombia’s keenness to further reinforce bilateral ties and promote cooperation with the UAE across various fields.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Al Hashimy and Durán, signed the minutes of the second session of the Joint Committee. Both sides expressed their appreciation for the efforts undertaken in organising the Committee meeting, and highlighted the importance of continuous engagement and constructive dialogue between the two sides.

Source: Emirates News Agency