The French capital, Paris, was adorned with UAE flags to celebrate the upcoming visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.
Next Monday, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, will start his first “state visit” to France since taking office on May 14, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
During the visit, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will discuss with the French President friendship relations and prospects for cooperation and joint action in various aspects, especially in the fields of future energy, climate change and advanced technology, in addition to strengthening cooperation in the sectors of education, culture and space in light of the comprehensive strategic partnership that brings together the UAE and France.
The two sides will discuss all regional and international issues and developments of interest to the two countries and ways to enhance security and stability in the region.
The UAE has distinguished relations with France in a number of economic, cultural, technological, energy and other fields of common interest.
On the economic front, French exports to the UAE recorded 3.1 billion euros in 2020, while French imports from the UAE amounted to 750 million euros in the same year.
The UAE is the third largest country in terms of trade exchange with France with a value of “2.4 billion euros” after the United Kingdom and Singapore.
The UAE hosts most of the French companies in the Middle East, numbering 600 companies that employ 30,000 people, and their number increases annually by 10%.
France is one of the main foreign investors in the UAE and French direct investments in the UAE amounted to 2.5 billion euros at the end of 2020.
While the UAE ranks 35th in the list of foreign investors in France, and hosts the largest French community in the Gulf region, estimated at 25,000 French citizens.
In the field of energy, France and the UAE recently agreed to organize the UAE-French Energy Days on 7 and 8 November 2022 and affirmed their commitment to the contributions of nuclear energy as a means of decarbonization through cooperation in the fields of training, research and development between the two countries.
The French Commission for Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy and the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation in the UAE signed an agreement in September 2018 with the aim of developing competencies in countries seeking to employ nuclear energy in this field.
The UAE is the first country in the region to use carbon capture technology on an industrial scale and the first Arab country to use nuclear energy without emissions.
The strategic cooperation between Masdar and ENGIE to support the green hydrogen economy in the UAE, represented in a project worth 5 billion dirhams (about 1.36 billion euros), shows the efforts made by the two countries in this regard.
On March 31, 2022, Etihad Airways unveiled its new Airbus A350-1000 on a special inaugural commercial flight from Abu Dhabi to Paris.
The aircraft, named Sustainability50, expresses a commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and will join Etihad Airways’ industry-leading sustainability campaign as part of a program to decarbonize aviation.
The technology sector is witnessing cooperation between the two sides, as startups located in Hub71 and some French start-ups are looking to move to the UAE, benefiting from a new partnership between the French investment bank, Bpifrance and Hub71.
In the UAE, there are currently about 20 incubators located in free zones that represent a group of companies, and in 2017, the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) launched an incubator (HIVEN) dedicated to financial technology.
The French startup community in the UAE is thriving with more than 30 specific entities united around the “French Tech Hub Dubai UAE”, which was named in October 2016.
Several French companies established in the UAE are also involved in digital transformation and are associated with the “French Tech Hub Dubai UAE” initiatives, particularly in the field of clean technologies /EDF, Engie/.
In the field of education, the seven accredited French secondary schools in the United Arab Emirates constitute the sixth largest network of French schools in the world in terms of enrollment, with more than 10,000 students.
EM Normandie and ESCP will join Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, INSEAD, Paris II and École 42 Abu Dhabi as French institutions with branches in the UAE.
The UAE joined the International Organization of Francophonie as an observer member, which has strengthened cooperation between the two countries in culture, education and economic development, and the country is home to the largest French and Francophone community in the Gulf region.
The pilot phase program to introduce French in all public schools in the UAE was implemented in 2018, and now, more than 60,000 students are learning French in public and private schools in the UAE.
France and the UAE recently confirmed the joint priority of developing the Arabic language through a bilateral agreement with the Arab World Institute that promotes the “International Certificate of Proficiency in Arabic” through the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center to assess competence in Modern Standard Arabic in the UAE.
The cultural field is witnessing cooperation between the UAE and France, as the UAE hosts the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, which is an international museum that links East and West and is unique in the Arab world.
The UAE quickly gained a great reputation as a forum for cultural exchange, community participation and intercultural dialogue.
In October 2021, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with the Gemme Museum, hosted the “Dragon and the Phoenix” exhibition, which shed light on the cultural dialogue between China and the Islamic world from the eighth to the eighteenth centuries.
The UAE provided funding for the restoration of the Napoleon III Theater in the Chateau de Fontainebleau, one of the largest castles in France, and was renamed after “Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan”.
As part of the cultural exchange, French director Pierre Morel directed the Emirati film “Al Kamin”, the largest Arab production ever.
On December 3, 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Expo 2020 Dubai and praised the successful organization of the mega global event despite the challenges the world has experienced due to COVID-19.
France took a central position at Expo 2020 Dubai, and French culture and language are seen as a model for cooperation in Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030.