UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan recently met with the Prime Minister of Armenia His Excellency Nikol Pashinyan, who is on a working visit to the UAE.
The meeting took place at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi, where Sheikh Mohamed welcomed Pashinyan and his accompanying delegation, and conveyed his best wishes for continued prosperity and well-being to the people of Armenia.
Leaders commit to bolstering bilateral relations
During the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed and the Prime Minister discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation across various fields, with a particular focus on the economic, investment and development sectors, in a manner that serves the shared interests of both the UAE and Armenia and contributes to the progress and prosperity of their peoples.
The UAE and Armenia enjoy close economic ties, which were recently enhanced by the conclusion of negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which Armenia is part of.
In the first half of 2024, the UAE shared non-oil trade worth $13.7 billion with the bloc, representing a climb of 29.6 percent on the same period in 2023. The deal aims to boost these figures by reducing or removing tariffs, eliminating technical barriers to trade, expanding market access, and aligning customs procedures.
The CEPA will also seek to harmonize digital trade and e-commerce in addition to creating new platforms for SME collaboration.
Read: UAE and Azerbaijan sign CEPA to boost trade, investment flows in vital sectors
UAE, Armenia to advance mutual development
The two sides also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern. In this context, His Highness expressed the UAE’s support for all efforts aimed at reinforcing stability and security across the Caucasus region. He also emphasised the UAE’s longstanding approach of supporting peace and security at both the regional and global levels through dialogue and diplomacy.
His Highness also reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to working closely with Armenia to advance mutual development and prosperity and to support the aspirations of both nations toward sustainable growth.
For his part, Pashinyan thanked Sheikh Mohamed for his continued support in strengthening bilateral relations, and he affirmed Armenia’s keenness to further develop cooperation across all fields.
Upon his arrival at Abu Dhabi’s Presidential Airport earlier in the day, the Armenian Prime Minister was received by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, along with several senior officials.
