Interviu cu E.S, Dr.Ahmed Abdullah bin Saeed Al Matrooshi, ambasadorul EAU la Bucureşti: Emiratele îşi doresc ca România să devină unul dintre principalii parteneri în Europa de Est | VIDEO

E.S, Dr.Ahmed Abdullah bin Saeed Al Matrooshi, ambasadorul Emiratelor Arabe Unite la Bucureşti

Adevărul:Excelenţa Voastră, Emiratele sărbătoresc Jubileul de Aur, o aniversare de mare importanţă. Care sunt orizonturile de dezvoltare ale relaţiei dintre Emiratele Arabe Unite şi România în contextul viziunii Emiratelor Arabe Unite pentru următorii 50 de ani?

Ahmed Ben Saeed Almatrooshi: În primul rând aş dori să vă mulţumesc, dumneavoastră şi întregii echipe, pentru oportunitatea de a vorbi despre relaţia dintre Emiratele Arabe Unite şi România. Relaţia dintre cele două ţări este deja o relaţie istorică, care a început într-o perioadă favorabilă, acum 30 de ani, şi care a continuat să prospere, să crească; noi facem tot ce ne stă în putinţă pentru a întări şi mai mult această relaţie în toate domeniile şi în ambele sectoare: public şi privat. După cum aţi menţionat, anul acesta sărbătorim aniversarea de 50 de ani de la fondarea statului emiratez, ceea ce pentru noi este un moment extrem de important. Guvernul EAU a avut ca viziune atingerea un nivel înalt de dezvoltare în toate domeniile şi într-adevăr, am atins toate obiectivele care ne-au conturat până acum parcursul ca naţiune. Pentru următorii 50 de ani, guvernul EAU se pregăteşte să implementeze noi proiecte şi idei, pe care ţara noastră le va împărtăşi şi le va fructifica cu partenerii săi, în special în ceea ce priveşte investiţiile.

Adevărul: România şi Emiratele Arabe Unite au semnat în urmă cu trei ani, Declaraţia comună pentru stabilirea unui Parteneriat Economic Strategic între Guvernul României şi Guvernul Emiratelor Arabe Unite. Care sunt principalele obiective ale acestei declaraţii şi ce trebuie făcut pentru a atinge aceste obiective?

 Ahmed Ben Saeed Almatrooshi: Această declaraţie, semnată în 2018, este foarte importantă şi a avut ca scop colaborarea dintre guverne şi sectorele private. De atunci, guvernul şi sector privat au început să lucreze împreună şi au declanşat o serie de investiţii în România, prin companii emirateze care activează în România, precum şi prin companii româneşti care lucrează în Emirate. Am realizat multe lucruri de atunci şi desigur, vrem să creştem aceste investiţii, ţelul nostru fiind mai mare decât ceea ce există acum.

Adevărul: Pentru că aţi menţionat investitorii emiratezi, sunt aceştia interesaţi de economia românească şi, în special, în ce domenii?

Ahmed Ben Saeed Almatrooshi: Desigur, investitorii emiratezi sunt foarte interesaţi să investească în România. Deja există companii emirateze active în România, în agricultură de exemplu, precum mare companie  Al Dhahra, care lucrează în Insula Mare a Brăilei sau precum DP World, companie de nivel international, care a investit în portul din Constanţa. Avem aşadar multe companii emirateze în România şi investitorii noştri sunt interesaţi de această piaţă. Mulţumesc şi guvernului roman, precum şi poporului roman pentru sprijinul lor şi pentru că ne-au primit cu braţele deschise pentru a lucra şi colabora  cu ei. Sper ca această foarte bună relaţie să dăinuie şi în viitor.

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Interview with H.E Ahmed Abdullah bin Saaed Al Matrooshi, ambassador of UAE to Romania

It is our intention that Romania joins us to become one of our main partners in Eastern Europe

 Which are the prospects of the United Arab Emirates and Romania’s relationship in the context of UAE vision for the next 50 years?  

The bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and Romania have been on an upward trend and in recent years I have personally witnessed these relations strengthen considerably. As the UAE approaches its Golden Jubilee, the country is entering a new phase in its history, and it is our intention that Romania joins us in this new cycle of economic, political, and social growth, to become one of our main partners in Eastern Europe.

The vision for the next 50 years is to make of UAE the global capital of investment and economic creativity. With this in mind, there is potential for Romania’s young, talented and tech-oriented generation to contribute greatly to our incubator for entrepreneurship and emerging projects, and to create new economic opportunities, for the benefit of both countries.

The next 50 years for the UAE are carefully projected through a new round of national strategic projects called “Projects of the 50” that are designed to encourage digital and circular economies, as well as sectors based on artificial intelligence. Several of these projects, some of which I will highlight, could have a positive impact on the Romanian investment, business, technology and trade sectors.

Firstly, in addition to the fact that Romanians can already travel to the UAE without a visa, they will be able to access more opportunities with the latest visa reforms. These include the introduction of the Green Visa, giving highly skilled individuals self-residency status without being tied to an employer. The new Freelancers Visa allows self-employers, who are based in the UAE and overseas in specialized fields, to sponsor themselves. And the eligibility of the Golden Visa, which enables a five or 10-year permanent UAE visa, will now expand to include mangers, CEOs and specialists in science, engineering, health, education, business management and technology.

The UAE will launch the “Invest.ae” portal, targeting several key foreign markets, including those from Central and Eastern Europe.

Other projects focus on attracting coders to enhance the country's position as a global capital for programmers and specialized talents, while aiming to have the highest ratio of female coders per capita in the next five years. 

It is also worth noting that the UAE will launch ‘Tech Drive’ in partnership with Emirates Development Bank, which will also provide programs and incentives to support entrepreneurs in the industrial sector, with the aim of achieving a AED25 billion contribution to the GDP over the next 10 years.

There are plenty of plans and strategies to accommodate Romanian investors, talents and trade partners and we invite Romania to join the UAE’s exciting journey for the next fifty years.

Romania and United Arab Emirates have signed three years ago, The Declaration for strategic economic partnership between the two countries. What are the main goals of this declaration and what has to be done to achieve these goals?

Indeed, in 2018 the UAE and Romanian governments agreed on the establishment of a closer and more active framework for collaboration and coordination at the governmental level and thus it was agreed to strengthen the bilateral relationship to the level of strategic economic partnership. In this regard, the "Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Economic Partnership between the Government of Romania and the UAE Government" was adopted, representing the basis for future cooperation in all areas of common interest - economic, political, cultural and academic.

In terms of trade, the declaration aims to create a common framework for increasing trade exchange between the two countries. At the end of 2019, the total amount of bilateral trade reached about USD 300 million dollars, proving strengthened relations between the UAE and Romania. We hope to further increase this figure, as there is potential for future developments.

Even with the economic turbulences worldwide, trade relations between the UAE and Romania did not witness considerable challenges, reaching a total value of USD 262.20 million, with the potential of reaching increased values this year.

Creating a safe and stable investment environment is generally desirable and it will definitely help achieve the goals of the declaration. We trust that the second session of the Joint Committee between UAE and Romania, which is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi at the end of January 2022 (after the first round was held in Bucharest in April 2018) will contribute to find additional ways and sectors that help strengthen economic exchanges. Also, let us remember that at this very moment Romanian stakeholders participating in Expo 2020 Dubai, might be creating the foundations for future economic opportunities that will boost the economic relations between the two countries.

Are the Emirati investors interested in Romanian economy and, particularly, in which domains?

Yes, Romania is a country of high interest for UAE investors and sectors, such as information technology and communications, agriculture, construction, real estate and more recently, renewable energy that are closely followed by important players in the UAE investment community.

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