UAE-Canada Ties Strong and Excellent

Foreign Minister H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has expressed pleasure over UAE's "strong and excellent" relations with Canada Addressing a joint press conference with his Canadian counterpart John Baird in Ottawa, Sheikh Abdullah said the UAE is a main hub for trade in the region. He thanked the Canadian Minister for his keen efforts to further strengthen his country's relations with the UAE which, he said, has investments in Canada totaling around US$ 10 billion. "Having more trade between the UAE and Canada, and using the UAE as a hub, is beneficial for both countries," he added. Sheikh Abdullah said the UAE has a "transparent" nuclear programme which could be adopted by any other country in the region. For his part, Baird said Canada and the United Arab Emirates enjoy "warming" relations.

Baird said that the two ministers had discussed "a wide range of issues, including our concern about the humanitarian situation in Syria and regional peace and security." "We also discussed the launch of negotiations on a nuclear cooperation agreement between our two countries," he added." Also discussed during the meeting, Baird said, were means of expanding ties between the two countries, something which he said was "vital to expanding business and trade ties." "To that end, I am pleased to announce we are pursuing the creation of a Canada - UAE business council. This is a welcome step forward in boosting exchanges of all types and a sure-fire sign that our bilateral relations are getting even stronger," the Canadian minister concluded.