Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and Emmanuel Macron greet officials at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris. AFP

Gulf Today Report

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris On Thursday.

The UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and French President Macron discussed various paths of the strategic partnership that brings the two countries together, and opportunities to expand its horizons in all its fields in Paris.

During the meeting, which took place at the Élysée Palace, the French President welcomed the visit of Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and expressed his happiness to be meeting again in France.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed extended his thanks and appreciation to President Macron for the warm reception.

The visit reinforces and expands the longstanding strategic partnership between the UAE and France, and strengthens the bilateral cooperation across various sectors.

UAE ministers emphasised the long-standing relations between the UAE and France and their extensive strategic partnerships on various fronts.

Suhail Bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said that the visit of Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed to France fits into the framework of the robust relations between the two countries, which are "strengthening and becoming more solid, and exploring new opportunities for cooperation across various sectors with the aim of promoting economic growth and addressing shared challenges.”

The trade exchange between the UAE and France grew by 16.8 per cent in 2022, reaching Dhs29.44 billion, compared to Dhs25.2 billion in 2021, according to data from the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre.

In 2022, the bilateral trade between the two countries consisted of imports valued at Dhs25.2 billion, while exports and re-exports were valued at approximately Dhs4.2 billion.