Today's Edition
DUBAI (WAM)
Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, held a series of high-level bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) Investment Summit 2026 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, engaging counterparts from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the World Bank to advance trade and investment cooperation.
With the participation of 191 countries and organisations, the summit underscored the UAE's growing position as a global hub for economic dialogue and partnership.
From the African continent, Al Zeyoudi met with Parks Tau, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition of the Republic of South Africa, to discuss opportunities for deepening economic ties across manufacturing, agribusiness, minerals beneficiation, and logistics. The meeting also covered ways to strengthen private-sector links between the two countries.
Al Zeyoudi ALSO met with Ahmed Rostom, Minister of Planning and Economic Development of Egypt, with discussions focusing on joint investment in infrastructure, digital services, and industrial development as the two nations seek to broaden their longstanding economic partnership.
Al Zeyoudi also met with Ibrahim Alpha Sesay, Minister of Trade and Industry of Sierra Leone, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties, with a focus on agribusiness, mining, and private-sector development.
Al Zeyoudi held meetings with European representatives, including Jagoda Lazarević, Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade of Serbia, and Simonida Kordić, Minister of Tourism of Montenegro.
Discussions with Serbia explored expanding cooperation in trade facilitation, food security, and advanced manufacturing, while the meeting with Montenegro focused on tourism, hospitality investment, and connectivity between the two countries.
Al Zeyoudi also met with Gevorg Papoyan, Minister of Economy of Armenia, to explore avenues for enhanced cooperation in technology, agriculture, and services trade.
He also held meetings with leaders from Asia, including Dorjkhand Togmid, Member of Parliament and Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia, discussing opportunities in mining, renewable energy, and logistics connectivity.
Al Zeyoudi met with Ayaz Baetov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic and Minister of Justice, to discuss opportunities for expanding trade and investment cooperation, including in agriculture, textiles, and logistics.
In a meeting with Dr Mohan Yadav, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, India, both sides discussed investment opportunities in the state’s industrial and agricultural sectors, building on the strong and growing UAE-India economic partnership.
Al Zeyoudi also met with Sangbu Kim, the World Bank’s Vice President for Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence, to discuss the role of digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence in accelerating trade facilitation and inclusive economic growth across emerging markets.
Through these engagements, the UAE continues to strengthen its presence in priority markets, and expand its network of trade and investment partnerships in support of its economic diversification objectives.
Commenting on the engagements, Al Zeyoudi said, “The breadth of engagement at AIM Investment Summit reflects the growing global appetite to partner with the UAE across trade, investment, and the digital economy. These meetings allow us to identify concrete avenues for collaboration with partners in Africa, Europe, and Asia, and to advance our shared commitment to sustainable, mutually beneficial economic growth.”
