By WAM
Abu Dhabi : The United Arab Emirates is committed to its long-term friendship with Britain, but expects British companies to make more effort to develop their relationship with the country, according to Foreign Minister HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In an article entitled “Friendship and a few ‘home truths’ ” in the latest issue of Capital Letter, the quarterly magazine of the British Business Group in Abu Dhabi, the Minister says: “We are committed to our long term relationship with Britain, and we know well that there is also a great deal of commitment from the British side? . We would like to see more British companies, more British educational institutions, more British expertise coming to seek to benefit from the new opportunities in Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE and, at the same time, to contribute, as partners, to our growth.” The full text follows.
*Friendship and a few ‘home truths’* By H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan Those who follow closely the evolution of the international relations of the United Arab Emirates will have noticed in recent years that there has been a greater emphasis on “Looking East” ? on developing our ties, both political and economic, with countries in Asia, like India, China, Japan and Korea.
That is, in our view, an appropriate step to take. Quite apart from their political weight on the global scene ? and that is substantial ? these countries also have some of the fastest-growing economies in the world. They are of enormous importance to us, as importers of our oil and gas exports, as trading partners, as destinations for our own rapidly-expanding overseas investments and as sources for the inward flow of both capital and expertise into the UAE.
That new focus does not mean, though, that we are paying less attention to the continued promotion of our traditional ties with our friends and partners elsewhere, among whom, of course, is Britain.
There is no need for me to go into detail about the nature of the ties between the United Arab Emirates and Britain: they are well-known. It is sufficient to say, simply, that our two countries have been intimately linked together for nearly two hundred years, that many, many British companies have been involved, and continue to be involved, in our economy, in all spheres, that over 150,000 British people now live and work here and that the UAE is one of the most popular destinations for tourists from Britain, quite apart from the thousands of Emiratis who visit Britain each year or who study there and the billions of pounds in Emirati investments in Britain.
Our relationship is something that has, I believe, served both sides well over the years, even though, quite naturally, we do not always agree on every topic. And it is a relationship that we in the UAE hope will continue to be a feature of our international ties for many, many years to come.
One of the features of real friendship is the fact that friends should be able to tell each other ‘home truths’, to express views that may not always be comfortable listening, in the knowledge, on both sides, that they are expressed out of a deep sense of commitment to that friendship.
Perhaps I may, therefore, be permitted to suggest a few ‘home truths’.
As many of my colleagues in both the federal UAE Government and in the Government of Abu Dhabi have said in the past, both privately and publicly, we are committed to our long term relationship with Britain, and we know well that there is also a great deal of commitment from the British side. We see that, for example, in the way in which our government-to-government relations have led in recent years to the reaching of numerous agreements, on topics like extradition of criminals and on the exchange of information on money-laundering and in the increasingly frequent visits by Ministers and other senior officials from both sides. We welcome that, and look forward to more visits and to agreements on a variety of topics.
At the same time, however, and here I am thinking particularly in terms of our economic relationship, we would stress that our long-standing and friendly historical ties are not sufficient on their own to guarantee that British companies will continue to thrive in our market. It cannot be otherwise. The competition is enormous, and growing, and, as our local market continues to expand, so will that competition grow even further. It’s not, of course, just a matter of price ? though that is important. It’s also a matter of showing a long-term commitment to our development, and of recognising that we have certain national priorities, such as Emiratisation and the transfer of technology, which are fundamental aspects of the way in which we will be seeking to do business in the future.
We also look for a greater appreciation of the way in which our two countries, and companies on both sides, may be able to collaborate elsewhere in the world, whether in terms of economics, or politics, or defence or even aid for the developing world. One recent initiative on the latter aspect was the agreement reached between UAE Vice President and Prime Minister H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on collaboration between our two countries in the promotion of primary education in the developing world, through the ‘Dubai Cares’ campaign on our side, which involves a commitment of ten billion US dollars, and through Britain’s own multi-million pound commitment towards the UN’s Millennium Goals. There must, surely, be other areas in which we can work together, each drawing on our own resources to contribute together, and more effectively, to the achievement of our shared objectives.
Much, of course, is already being done. I am delighted, for example, that besides the long-standing involvement of British companies in our oil and gas and power industries, or in our planning, we are now seeing new names appearing on the Abu Dhabi scene. The architects Foster + Partners are not only playing a leading role in the design of our Masdar City, which will be the world’s first zero-carbon city, and in the Sheikh Zayed National Museum, but are now also working with the National Media Council in the design of a world-class UAE Pavilion at the forthcoming EXPO 2010 in Shanghai. Sotheby’s are working with the Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority, ADACH, on the promotion of our cultural knowledge and education. British architect Zaha Hadid is among those working on the design of our Saadiyat Island Cultural Complex, which we confidently believe will become a cultural centre of global significance.
But there is room for more. We would like to see more British companies, more British educational institutions, more British expertise coming to seek to benefit from the new opportunities in Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE and, at the same time, to contribute, as partners, to our growth.
We in the Emirates keep a close eye on what is happening in Britain in terms of its business and economy, as well as in terms of its politics. That matters to us. But we cannot be expected to identify every possible new product that may be useful to us, or every new potential partner in our economic growth. The clamour of those from around the world who are seeking our attention is simply too great, and too insistent, for that.
I would, therefore, urge the British business community in Abu Dhabi, and the companies at home that it represents, to put in yet more effort to attract our attention and to broaden and to deepen the partnership that already exists in so many fields. You will find that we are willing listeners, ready to shake hands on a commitment to take that partnership onwards for many years to come.