UAE, France sign multiple agreements in defence, energy and technology
- 03 Dec 2021
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Emmanuel Macron, President of France, attended the signing of agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the UAE and France in many areas, helping to boost the strategic partnership between the two countries to serve their mutual interests.
At the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed, Emmanuel Macron, visited the UAE on Friday. The two leaders toured Expo 2020 Dubai, emphasising the importance of this event in building bridges and promoting partnerships.
The French President conveyed his congratulations to Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed on the occasion of the National Day and the Golden Jubilee of the UAE on Dec.2, and praised the achievements made by the country in the preceding 50 years. Macron congratulated Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and the people of the UAE on hosting the Conference of the Parties in 2023 (COP28) which would be of special significance.
He highlighted the opportunity for France and the UAE to work jointly to tackle the global threat of climate change, as well as finalising the Paris Agreement rulebook and mobilising finance for developing countries most affected by climate change. Sheikh Mohamed stated that the UAE looks forward to working with France and the international community to accelerate global efforts to address climate change and environmental protection and to create a more sustainable economic future.
In a joint communique marking the visit of the French president, the UAE and France highlighted their commitment to align their support to developing countries with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and to increase their support to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Solar Alliance.
With an evolving international landscape, and reflecting on the exceptional achievements of the strategic partnership of the past 30 years, both leaders expressed a commitment to strengthen this partnership, charting new paths for the future. This strategic partnership has as one of its key anchors the defence agreement signed in 1995 and renewed in 2009, which has contributed greatly to UAE and French security priorities, by strengthening regional stability, enhancing maritime security, and enabling the fight against terrorism, in particular against Daesh.
The two leaders reaffirmed the expansion of this partnership, with France supplying 80 Rafale fighter jets to the UAE Air Force Squadron in addition to 12 Caracal H225 Helicopters including weaponising, training and spare parts, with contracts worth 16.6 billion euros (approximately $19.20b).
The two leaders agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism, terrorist financing and extremism. Sheikh Mohamed congratulated Macron on the success of the international conference on Libya, held recently in Paris. Both leaders expressed their commitment to support the efforts made to promote peace and stability at both the regional and international levels. Sheikh Mohamed and Macron discussed the talks regarding the Iranian nuclear programme and underscored the importance of a negotiated solution.
Macron welcomed the UAE’s outlook on focusing on de-escalation and cooperation with an aim for shared future prosperity. In this context, Macron also reiterated his congratulations to Sheikh Mohamed on the progress of the Abraham Accord, as a bold step toward peace and stability in the region.
The agreements and MoUs signed by the UAE and France, included:
1. An MoU between Mubadala and the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Recovery, signed by Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, CEO and Managing Director of Mubadala Investment Company and Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy, Finance and Recovery.
2. An MoU between Mubadala and BPI France, signed by Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, CEO and Managing Director of Mubadala Investment Company and Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of BPI France.
3. An MoU between the UAE's Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Recovery, signed by Dr Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy, Finance and Recovery.
4. A cooperation agreement between Adnoc and TotalEnergies, signed by Dr Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), and Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of TotalEnergies.
5. A contract between Borouge and Technip for construction of word-class ethane cracker unit as part of the Borouge 4 expansion project, signed by Dr Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and Arnaud Pieton, CEO of Technip.
6. An MoU between Masdar and ENGIE on a strategic alliance, signed by Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Chairman of Masdar, and Catherine MacGregor, CEO of ENGIE.
7. An agreement on the purchase of aircraft and associated products and services between the UAE's Ministry of Defence and Dassault Aviation, signed by Tareq Abdulraheem Al Hosani, CEO of Tawazun Economic Council and Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation.
8. An agreement on the supply of Rafale arms equipment between the UAE's Ministry of Defence and MBDA, signed by Tareq Abdulraheem Al Hosani, CEO of Tawazun Economic Council and Eric Beranger, CEO of MBDA.
9. An agreement on the purchase of H225M helicopters between the UAE's Ministry of Defence and Airbus Helicopters, signed by Tareq Abdulraheem Al Hosani, CEO of Tawazun Economic Council and Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.
10. An MoU between ADQ, and French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Recovery, signed by Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, CEO of ADQ and Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy, Finance and Recovery.
11. An amendment to the agreement between the Governments of the UAE and France on Louvre Abu Dhabi, singed by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, and Roselyne Bachelot, French Minister of Culture.
12. A Letter of Intent (LoI) on moon exploration between Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), signed by Salem Humaid Al Marri, Director General of MBRSC and Philippe Baptiste, President of the French National Space and Research Centre (CNES).
13. An MoU between Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Electricitie De France (EDF), signed by Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, CEO of ENEC and Jean-Bernard Lévy, Chairman and CEO of EDF.
WAM