Shaikha Lubna meets US trade official

WASHINGTON - Minister of Foreign Trade Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi met with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ron Kirk in Washington and discussed with him continued cooperation in the avenues of trade and investment.

The minister, who met with the US official during her visit to the US, was accompanied by UAE Ambassador in Washington Yussuf Mana Al Otaiba and the UAE Commercial Attache Saud Al Nowais.

They held talks on economic cooperation between the two countries and jointly emphasised the importance of promoting the private sector in both countries to benefit from the existing investment opportunities.

Shaikha Lubna asserted UAE’s keenness to bolster bilateral relations between UAE and US, especially in the sectors of trade and investment.

She emphasised the importance of giving adequate market share and support to the SMEs as part of the strategy of the UAE’s federal government.

The US official urged to benefit from the strength of relations between the two countries to create new opportunities for economic cooperation which could be translated into projects that would contribute to economic development on both sides.

He alluded to the fact that there are several US firms who wish to enter the market in the region through the UAE gate as the country enjoys advanced infrastructure and competitive facilities.

The value of non-oil bilateral trade between UAE and US stood at USD 12B in 2010.

Over 232 firms and 566 trade agencies of US origin operate in the UAE, where a total of 12324 US trade marks have been registered.