Under the esteemed patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, the fourth edition of Investopia (Investopia 2025) hosted the inaugural Business and Investors Conference for Arab Countries, Central Asia, and Azerbaijan. The conference took place in Abu Dhabi on February 26 under the theme ‘Towards Sustainable Cooperation and Partnership.’
This edition witnessed the participation of several ministers, government officials, and business leaders from Arab and Asian countries, including, H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE minister of Economy and chairman of Investopia, H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE minister of State for Foreign Trade, Her Excellency Alia bint Abdullah Al Mazrouei, UAE minister of State for Entrepreneurship, H.E. Hassan Al-Khatib, minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Egypt, H.E. Samir Obeid, minister of Trade and Export Development of Tunisia, H.E. Sidi Ahmed Abou, minister of Economy and Finance of Mauritania, and H.E. Mustafa Hassan Mohammed, minister of Economy, Industry, and Investment of the Union of the Comoros.
In addition, H.E. Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs at Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, H.E. Dr. Khaled Hanafi, secretary-general of the Union of Arab Chambers, H.E. Ambassador Dr. Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Maliki, assistant secretary-general and head of Economic Affairs at the Arab League, H.E. Khalid bin Ali bin Salem Al-Sunaidi, assistant secretary-general for Economic and Development Affairs at the GCC Secretariat, H.E. Tarek Sherif, vice president of the Arab Businessmen Federation, H.E. Shukhrukh Gulamov, deputy minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan, and H.E. Samad Bashirli, deputy minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, also attended the session.
Driving sustainable economic partnerships
H.E. Bin Touq emphasized that Investopia’s hosting of this economic event reflects the UAE’s and the Ministry of Economy’s commitment to strengthening economic cooperation across the Arab and Asian regions, particularly in new economy sectors. He highlighted that the conference serves as a crucial platform for driving sustainable economic partnerships, enhancing connectivity among Arab and Asian business communities, and maximizing economic and investment growth opportunities.
H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi underlined that the UAE’s selection as the host for this international event reflects its growing influence in global trade and investment. He affirmed the country’s commitment to reinforcing collaboration with Arab and Asian partners in alignment with the strategic objectives of We the UAE 2031, further solidifying its status as a global trade partner and an attractive economic hub.
Her Excellency Alia bint Abdullah Al Mazrouei stated: The conference serves as a key milestone in strengthening ties between Arab and Asian nations in entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It also offers an essential opportunity to spotlight the UAE’s competitive ecosystem for startups and entrepreneurship.
Non-oil trade between Arab nations and Asia surpassed $10 billion in 2023
In his keynote address, H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri highlighted the region’s dynamic economies and rapid growth potential. He noted that non-oil trade between Arab nations and Asia surpassed $10 billion in 2023, with further growth expected in the coming years. He also emphasized the UAE’s role as a vital gateway for investment and trade with Central Asia and Azerbaijan, pointing out that the UAE’s non-oil trade with Azerbaijan exceeded $1.5 billion in 2022, while trade with Central Asia exceeded $3 billion.
He outlined four key areas for economic collaboration:, green energy and sustainability, particularly in solar and wind power; technology and artificial intelligence to drive industrial innovation and economic growth; trade facilitation and logistics through investment in advanced trade corridors and logistics networks; and food security as a strategic domain for cooperation among regional economies.
Read more: Future100 companies of 2024 announced at Investopia 2025
Regional corridors and global trade enhancement
The conference witnessed the organization of two discussion sessions. The first session ‘Regional Corridors and Creating Business Opportunities’ addressed the importance of regional corridors in promoting global trade, facilitating the flow of investments across borders, addressing the challenges facing supply chains, and the role of the multilateral trading system in providing new opportunities for exporters, manufacturers and investors. The session was attended by H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, H.E. Samir Obeid, Minister of Trade and Export Development of Tunisia, H.E. Sid Ahmed Abouh, Minister of Economy and Finance of Mauritania, and H.E. Samad Beshirili, Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan.
H.E. Dr. Al Zeyoudi emphasized the pivotal role of trade corridors in boosting economic flows between emerging and developed markets, creating new opportunities for businesses and investors.
Developments in the new economy in the region
Also, the second session titled ‘The New Economy in the Region: Artificial Intelligence, Waste Management and Food Security’ discussed developments in the new economy sectors in the region, their role in enhancing the growth and sustainability of economies, how to strengthen cooperation to create diverse paths that support encouraging countries to invest and expand in these vital sectors, and the importance of adopting policies and strategies that contribute to the transformation of circular economic models. This session was attended by H.E. Dr. Khaled Hanafy, Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers; H.E. Mustafa Hassan Mohamed, Minister of Economy, Industry and Investment in the United Republic of the Comoros; and H.E. Mr. Tarek El-Sherif, Vice President of the Arab Businessmen Union.
During the conference discussions, the Arab and Asian sides agreed during the discussions that took place at the conference on the importance of enhancing the prospects of joint economic relations in many vital fields and sectors, including trade, investment, energy, technology, artificial intelligence, food security, and new challenges such as climate change.
The conference further featured a roundtable meeting attended by ministers from the Arab and Asian sides. Its aim was to strengthen economic and investment cooperation between the two regions, discuss ways to provide an interactive platform for the private sector from both sides, and support joint work to achieve integration between major regional economic activities.
Strengthening Arab-Asian economic relations
Moreover, the conference concluded with the importance of expanding and deepening mutual economic relations between the two sides, especially by stimulating investment by companies from both sides to diversify economic ties. The two sides agreed to advance their cooperation in the field of economy and advance the discussion with the aim of enhancing and supporting collaboration in sectors such as economic diversification, cooperation for innovation, energy, climate change, green products, water, waste management and green hydrogen, as well as in the field of new technologies, communications, artificial intelligence and building flexible supply chains.
Supporting cooperation between the public and private sectors
The two sides exchanged views on participating in creating sustainable and resilient economic development, including through industrial development, cooperation in the field of energy, food security, high-quality infrastructure and digital transformation, addressing climate change, low-carbon energy, energy saving, sustainable development goals and resource development, in addition to other areas. Both sides expressed their desire to cooperate between the public sector and businessmen towards a sustainable and resilient economy under the slogan Towards Sustainable Cooperation and Partnership.
The two sides welcomed the development of economic relations between Arab countries, Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan in all financial fields of shared priority and agreed to achieve further cooperation. Concluding the conference, the two sides decided to hold the second session of the conference in one of the Central Asian countries and the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2027.
Furthermore, the UAE’s hosting of the conference at Investopia 2025 falls within the framework of the outcomes of the third session of the Arab Economic and Cooperation Forum with the Central Asian countries and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which was held in April 2024 in Qatar.
