Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, chairman of the defense, interior and foreign affairs committee at the UAE’s Federal National Council (FNC), met today with Dag Hartelius, Sweden’s state secretary for foreign affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, at the FNC headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
The meeting discusses ways to enhance parliamentary cooperation between the two nations. In addition, it addressed strengthening bilateral relations between the UAE and Sweden across various fields, particularly in economic collaboration, artificial intelligence, green economy investments, renewable energy and modern technology.
UAE home to over 250 Swedish companies
Both sides emphasized the importance of parliamentary cooperation, leveraging parliamentary diplomacy to complement official diplomatic efforts. Discussions also covered regional issues and efforts to stabilize the region. Al Nuaimi highlighted the UAE’s approach to promoting tolerance and coexistence which are key pillars of its foundation. He also affirmed the UAE’s commitment to fostering relations with all nations to achieve peace, stability and sustainable development.
For his part, Sweden’s deputy minister of foreign affairs underscored they country’s keenness to strengthen ties with the UAE across all sectors, praising the evolving relations between the two nations, the UAE’s progress and its robust investment and trade environment that has attracted numerous Swedish companies.
More than 250 Swedish companies currently operate in the UAE including IKEA, Volvo, H&M, AstraZeneca and Sony/Ericsson. Hartelius also extended his congratulations to the UAE on its 53rd Eid Al Etihad, wishing the nation continued prosperity and advancement.
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UAE is Sweden’s second-largest Arab export market
Ever since the UAE and Sweden established diplomatic relations in 1972, their bilateral relationship has been growing and expanding into various sectors. The UAE is Sweden’s second-largest export market in the Arab world after Saudi Arabia.
In the 5 years to 2022, the UAE’s exports to Sweden have increased at an annualized rate of 5.78 percent, from $57.4 million in 2017 to $76 million, according to the OEC. Meanwhile, Sweden exported $939 million worth of goods to the UAE in 2022, a number that surged to $1.05 billion during 2023.
Sweden and the UAE’s cooperation is long-standing. In 2011, the two countries signed a five-year cooperation agreement in environmental and energy technology with the aim of promoting technical cooperation and technology transfer in sustainable urban development and combating climate change.
