Today's Edition
Sultan Khalifa Abdulla Ali Al Rubaei
UAE-Korean relations have been a model of strategic cooperation based on partnership and mutual interests, and have succeeded in advancing joint work in various fields, reflecting the UAE’s vision and approach to partnerships and strategic dialogues with global powers.
Since 1980, UAE-Korean relations have been developing remarkably, reaching the level of a strategic partnership in 2009 and a special strategic partnership in 2018, with cooperation expanding into political, economic, defence, and cultural areas.
This high level of partnership has been made possible because leaders on both sides were very keen to strengthen and support ties between the two friendly countries through mutual visits, memoranda of understanding, economic and cultural partnership agreements, and strategic dialogue channels, all of which were outcomes of the visit by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the Republic of South Korea in 2019.
At the economic level, the UAE is the second-largest trading partner for Korea within all GCC and Arab countries. Non-oil trade between the two countries reached $5.3 billion by the end of 2022. As cooperation between the two countries is advancing to unprecedented levels, the UAE pledged, during Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Abu Dhabi in early 2023, to invest $30 billion in the country.
The two countries are seeking to exchange experience in the field of technology to help develop their economies, especially since the development experience in Korea is compatible with the development priorities of the UAE, which is focusing on the knowledge economy and comprehensive and sustainable growth in preparation for the post-oil era.
The strategic dialogue between Abu Dhabi and Seoul is no longer limited to investments and the UAE’s peaceful nuclear programme; it has expanded to cover regional and international politics, possible solutions to Middle East issues, developments in the Korean Peninsula, and bilateral cooperation within the framework of international organisations.
Therefore, relations between the two countries are expected to develop further in the coming years, making their strategic partnership stronger and stronger. The UAE-Korean partnership and strategic dialogue is representative of the UAE’s foreign policy. Abu Dhabi’s foreign policy priorities include achieving international stability, enhancing cooperation, supporting peaceful conflict resolution, and establishing dialogue with all parties to achieve economic and social development, progress, and prosperity for the UAE.
Indeed, the UAE approach, which is based on partnership and strategic dialogue with key international players, has resulted in the UAE having strong relations with many countries around the world, including the US, China, EU countries, Korea, Russia, Japan, India, and others.
The UAE is seeking more successful partnerships with other countries, as development is the basis for stability in the world. As part of efforts to support the UAE-Korean strategic partnership, a new round of strategic dialogue between the two countries took place in Seoul last week.
The discussions explored ways to support and strengthen this partnership, with valuable input from the TRENDS Research and Advisory Centre, which gives high priority to international cooperation in its research programmes. Such participation and research support contribute to opening new horizons for cooperation between the UAE and countries around the world.
The writer is a main researcher at TRENDS Research and Advisory for over four decades.
