PARIS (WAM)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs participated in the inaugural round of consular consultations between the United Arab Emirates and the French Republic, held in Paris, as part of the two countries' ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation in consular affairs and further enhance the quality of services provided to their citizens.
The UAE delegation was led by Faisal Eissa Lutfi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the French delegation was headed by Pauline Carmona, Director for French Nationals Abroad and Consular Administration at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic.
At the outset of the meeting, Faisal Eissa Lutfi conveyed the greetings of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, along with his best wishes for the success of the consultations.
He emphasised that the United Arab Emirates and the French Republic enjoy longstanding ties of friendship, cooperation, and a strategic partnership across a wide range of fields, underpinned by the shared vision of the leadership of both countries and their continued commitment to advancing bilateral relations in a manner that serves the aspirations of the two friendly nations and their peoples for greater progress and prosperity.
The Assistant Under-Secretary for Consular Affairs also expressed his appreciation to the French side for hosting the inaugural round of consular consultations, noting that the launch of this bilateral dialogue reflects the shared commitment of both countries to developing innovative, proactive, and customer-centric consular services that leverage the latest technologies to meet the evolving needs of their citizens and further enhance service delivery.
The consultations reviewed avenues for strengthening bilateral cooperation and exchanging expertise and best practices across a range of priority areas, including digital attestation mechanisms, enhancing consular service delivery, strengthening institutional readiness, and expanding cooperation in responding to consular matters of mutual interest.
These efforts aim to deliver more efficient and effective consular services, improve the customer experience, and further reinforce the growing bilateral relations between the two friendly countries.