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ABU DHABI, 11th May, 2023 (WAM) — The United Arab Emirates and the French Republic continue to strengthen their strategic partnership, built on mutual respect and a shared vision on regional and global issues.
The two leaders, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and French President Emmanuel Macron, have played key roles in strengthening bilateral ties. This partnership has yielded fruitful results in the fields of politics, defence, economy and culture.
Diplomatic cooperation between the two countries has become an important pillar in addressing various regional and international challenges, including countering extremism and intolerance, promoting tolerance and coexistence, and contributing to global security and peace.
Historically, the relationship between the UAE and France can be traced back to the establishment of the UAE, when French oil companies such as Total engaged in oil exploration in the UAE. The relationship between the UAE and France began shortly after the establishment of the UAE and was further strengthened after the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, visited France for the first time in 1975. Since then, high-level official visits, regular meetings and increased cooperation have strengthened the partnership.
The UAE-France Strategic Dialogue was established in 2008 to identify existing and future opportunities and partnerships and to ensure Space, security and other areas of mutual interest.
In June 2020, the two sides adopted the ambitious 10-year bilateral roadmap (2020-2030) for the UAE-France strategic partnership. During the 14th UAE-France Strategic Dialogue held in Abu Dhabi last June, the two sides discussed key areas such as strengthening the economy, trade and investment, oil and gas, green hydrogen, nuclear and renewable energy, climate change, education , culture, health, artificial intelligence, food safety, fintech, intellectual property, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, space and cybersecurity.
Over the past few years, the two countries have signed dozens of agreements and memorandums of understanding in various fields such as economy, culture, military and environment. The latest is the signing of 13 agreements during President Macron’s visit to the UAE last December.
On the economic level, the economic and investment relations between the UAE and France are significantly different, as can be seen from the non-oil foreign trade data of the two countries. According to data from the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics, as of the end of 2021, the total non-oil foreign trade between the two countries exceeded 25.2 billion dirhams.
The cultural partnership between the two countries is also important as it builds a bridge of communication between the two peoples. Over the years, this partnership has achieved many milestones, such as the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first international museum in the Arab world, and France’s largest cultural project abroad. The Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi was established in 2006 following an agreement between the Sorbonne University in Paris and the Abu Dhabi government.
These countries were instrumental in the creation of the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH). In 2017, the UAE contributed 5 million euros to support the Arab World Institute in Paris, the same year that the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Hall opened at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The UAE also contributed 10 million euros to the restoration of the Napoleon III Theater at the Palace of Fontainebleau, south of Paris, which was later named after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, further reflecting Paris Close relationship with Abu Dhabi.
At the educational level, the UAE has seven French-accredited high schools and ranks the sixth largest network of French-language schools in the world in terms of enrollment, with more than 10,000 students. In 2018, a pilot phase of the French language project was implemented in all public schools in the UAE. More than 60,000 students are now studying French in the country’s public and private schools.
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