Op-Ed: Sky's The Limit For UAE-Russia Relations

By Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Executive Director of Emirates News Agency, WAM Abu Dhabi, 14th October 2019 (WAM) – Tomorrow’s visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the UAE, his second since 2007, is aimed at deepening bilateral ties and taking them to wider horizons.

(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 14th Oct, 2019) By Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Executive Director of Emirates news Agency, WAM Abu Dhabi, 14th October 2019 (WAM) – Tomorrow’s visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the UAE, his second since 2007, is aimed at deepening bilateral ties and taking them to wider horizons.

The timing of the visit indicates the close cooperation and coordination between the two friendly countries as put by Putin, "It is no great secret that we maintain regular contacts with the leadership of the United Arab Emirates.

There is even an established tradition, a practice to compare notes regarding different topics. In my opinion, we are doing it for the benefit of both parties, and the region as a whole."

The outstanding political coordination, as well as the strong ties in economy, science, tourism and space domains, have been brought to fruition when the two countries signed the Declaration of Strategic Partnership last year.

President Putin commented then by saying, "The signing of this document was no coincidence. It demonstrated the quality and nature of relations between the UAE and Russia."

The UAE and Russia share a bulky dossier to work together on, the most important of which is economic cooperation. In 2018, the bilateral non-oil trade reached US$ 3 billion, a 21 percent increase compared to the previous year.

The UAE has become an increasingly preferred destination for the Russian tourists for the past three years.

The increase in the number of tourists was further spurred by the mutual visa waiver agreement, which was signed in February 2018.

More than 3,000 Russian companies are currently operating in the UAE, while Emirati investments in the businesses facilitated by the Russian Direct Investment Fund, RDIF, exceeded AED 3.

8 billion.

The signing of the Declaration of Strategic Partnership has helped create an institutional framework for cooperation in the commercial, economic, investment, cultural, scientific, and technological fields, an importantly, in space.

The high-profile Emirati participation in Aqdar World Summit, held in Moscow in last September, with 12 high-ranking officials, including eight ministers, indicates the depth of relations between the two countries.

The strong ties culminated recently with the mission of the UAE astronaut Hazza Al Mansoori onboard a Russian space ship to the International Space Station ,ISS.

The promising prospects of these relations are also evident in the agreement to strengthen cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy.

Khalifa University of Science and Technology and Russia’s National Research University (Moscow Power Engineering Institute – MPEI) are also engaged in partnership, specifically in innovation and research-related activities.

President Putin’s visit will also highlight the cultural cooperation with the onset of the UAE-Russian Cultural week.

There are high hopes pinned on President Putin’s visit to the UAE, especially that it comes on the heels of visit made earlier by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to Moscow. Sheikh Mohamed’s visit paved the way for stronger cooperation, stemming from the balanced approach to development, growth and prosperity.