Wellington (New Zealand) - HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, yesterday morning met HE John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand and conveyed greetings of Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
During the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah stressed the importance of strengthening relations between the two countries and further consolidating them. He also pointed out that the UAE encourages and supports all kinds of cooperation between companies of private sector in both countries. Milk powder, butter and wood are New Zealand's major exports to UAE.
On his part, HE John Key hailed the excellent investment environment provided in the UAE, which attracted large international businesses and projects, and made UAE a trade and economic hub and a destination for international companies.
HH Sheikh Abdullah also met his counterpart, HE Murray McCully, New Zealand Foreign Minister and discussed bilateral relations of the countries and the development witnessed in cooperation in various fields. They also discussed encouraging financial foundations in both countries to meet more frequently to open new co operational horizons in economic and trade fields.
Sheikh Abdullah also met New Zealand's Minister of Trade, Tim Groser and New Zealand's Associate Minister of Defence, Heather Roy. Both and discussed issues of mutual interest.
It is noteworthy that UAE ranked nineteenth most important trading partner for New Zealand during the year 2009 and the bilateral trade relations of the two countries have achieved significant growth in recent years as the value of exports to New Zealand in 2009 was about USD 285. 43 million compared to around US$184.69 69 million in 2008.
Both New Zealand and Gulf Cooperation Council countries have reached the Free Trade Agreement in October 31, 2009 at the end of the sixth round of trade negotiations between the two sides. Each side is currently completing the legal procedures relating to the trade agreement for submission to the Ministerial Conference to be held in the first half of this year. - Emirates News Agency, WAM
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