Emirates in the brown continent
51 years old, the age of Emirati-African relations, which deepen with the passage of days and mutual visits, and these relations are based on the principles of brotherhood, friendship, respect and mutual benefit. Undoubtedly, this distinguished relationship and others like the relationship of the UAE with the rest of the countries reveal the approach it follows in preserving the bonds of friendship and joint action, which always requires strengthening bridges, strengthening cooperation and extending a hand of goodness in crises, and all of this would consolidate peace, stability and security. Principles pursued by the state and will continue.
In many regions of the brown continent, the role of the UAE emerged, which was an active and important player in it, and during the past two decades, our country’s presence in the African continent expanded through the political and economic alliances it concluded with most of its countries, seeking thereby to consolidate stability in conflict areas and try to defuse conflicts. In the summer of 2018, the role of the UAE in both Eritrea and Ethiopia culminated when the two countries announced that they had reached an agreement to end the war that has been going on between them for 20 years, and it also mediated between Sudan and Ethiopia to resolve the differences between them, and made exceptional efforts to stop the conflict in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia. The UAE’s efforts also contributed to defusing the dangerous conflict between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over the Renaissance Dam.
And when the UAE intervenes in such files, not because it is affected or because its security is threatened, but rather it moves in order to maintain stability, and put an end to what crises can bear in terms of suffering and losses that affect people in the first place, and the environment as well.
Several years ago, the efforts of Emirati diplomacy emerged in several African countries to create an agreement between the conflicting countries, as well as to combat terrorism in order to restore the stability of the continent, which was the basis for the conflicts of the countries in which it found its vital strategic location and the many natural resources, so it colonized it for that purpose. It is no secret that the poles of the world were keen, during the past centuries, to place their hands on the big continent.
In modern history, and with the accumulation of crises on the African continent that ranged from conflicts, internal wars, famines, the spread of epidemics, desertification, and then illegal immigration; It became impossible for these conditions to continue, so international efforts intervened in an attempt to end these crises, and along with it, the UAE made efforts to stop the threats that began to affect other continents, and to restore stability to the countries of the continent that began to suffer from terrorism in its various aspects.
To this day, these efforts are still in place, with Washington hosting the US-Africa summit to address security challenges, combating terrorism and development issues. The UAE’s attendance at the summit through the “Abu Dhabi Peace Forum” is motivated by the strategic partnerships between it and a number of African countries, which necessitate our country to defend its partnerships and seek to enhance opportunities for peace.
The depth of Emirati-African relations pushes the UAE to take the hand of its partners in the brown continent towards new horizons of development and progress, due to the great opportunities that the countries of the continent enjoy in vital and strategic sectors, which could contribute to putting an end to the African economic collapse.
Since 2016, the UAE-African political and economic relations have taken an important turn. Africa is one of the promising emerging markets for Emirati investments, especially in the energy, renewable energy, infrastructure, commercial and service investment sectors. In numbers, the UAE acquired 88% of Gulf investments in the continent, as non-oil exports and re-exports from the UAE to Africa in 2018 amounted to about 18 billion euros, while the volume of UAE trade with Africa in 2020 amounted to about 56 billion dollars.
#Emirates #brown #continent