Yousra Adel (Dubai)
The French Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Xavier Chatel, confirmed that the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, to France was a very important and pivotal visit and had a great symbolic significance for France, as it was the first state visit to His Highness after assuming the presidency UAE.
Last Monday, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, conducted a two-day state visit to France, amid a great official and popular welcome. The French capital, Paris, was decorated with the flags of the UAE and France, in celebration of His Highness’ visit at the invitation of the President Emmanuel Macron.
Ambassador Chatel explained that His Highness’ visit to France reflected the trust and strong relations that existed for a long time between the two countries, and showed the depth of relations between the two countries, which France highly values.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Ittihad, the ambassador said: “The visit was not only symbolic and of great importance, but it was also pivotal, in light of the important agreements that were signed on the sidelines of the visit, many of which will deepen the already strong relations, and some of them will carry relations to broader horizons. He stressed that by all standards, they were important, pivotal and highly symbolic.
bright future
Chatel predicted a bright future for the UAE-French relations, in light of the fact that they are currently distinguished, noting that the relations between the two countries over the past decades, in all their stages and with all the political developments in France and the world, remained distinct and achieved great growth.
He added, “With new joint projects, great trust and deep friendship, we have all the ingredients for a prosperous future for relations between the two countries.”
strategic partnership
On the importance of the agreements signed by the UAE and France during the visit, the French ambassador told Al-Ittihad: “Two agreements of great importance in the field of energy were signed, one of which is to provide energy, and of course it is of great importance for France with the advent of winter and high fuel prices, and fears of shortage of supplies. ». He added: “The other agreement is the strategic partnership agreement in the field of energy, which aims to create a platform for strengthening the partnership between the two countries in this field, as well as in the fields of renewable energy and environmentally friendly technology, which is a promising agreement.”
The ambassador affirmed his country’s enthusiasm for the UAE-French Business Council, which was launched on the sidelines of the visit, with the aim of strengthening economic relations between the two friendly countries in the fields of energy, transport and investment.
business engine
He said, “The Business Council will include some of the most important CEOs from both sides, and will constitute an engine for communication at the level of large companies, to discover potential opportunities and reach new deals.” He expressed his pride in the level of relations between the UAE and France, stressing his confidence that the rise of relations to higher levels, in light of mutual trust and the boundless ambitions of both countries.
outer space
Chatel referred to the active cooperation between the UAE and France in the field of space, noting the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who took pictures of the Expo 2020 Dubai site from the International Space Station during his second mission, which lasted 200 days. He pointed out that the astronaut and ambassador of the French pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Thomas Pesquet, made a live call, broadcast on the dome of Al Wasl Square from the International Space Station for a period of 15 minutes. The call came on the occasion of France’s celebration of its National Day as part of its participation in “Expo 2020 Dubai.” Chatel explained that the signed agreements in the field of space would enable the UAE and France to develop a “lunar vehicle” to explore the moon. He indicated that France would participate in developing the camera for the exploration process, which is accurate and advanced technology, stressing the importance of other agreements between the two countries for space exploration.
Climate change
He stressed that both countries have great cooperation in the field of climate change, pointing to the cooperation of the French Electricity Company “EDF”, within a coalition led by the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company “TAQA”, in developing the Al Dhafra solar photovoltaic plant, which is the largest solar energy production plant. In the world.
He also pointed out that there is a great cooperation between “Masdar” in the UAE and the French company “ENGIE” in the field of green hydrogen.
He stressed the strengthening of cooperation in this field, thanks to the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, to France, and the signing of the strategic partnership agreement between the two countries.
Chatel explained that there is great consensus between the two countries in the field of climate, which is very important, as the UAE will host in November 2023 the Climate Conference of Parties (COP28), expressing his country’s confidence in the success of this conference hosted by the city of “Expo Dubai”, and France’s readiness to provide all Support and cooperation possible to achieve this success.
#French #ambassador #AlIttihad #Mohamed #bin #Zayeds #visit #Paris #pivotal #extremely #important