UAE & France discuss fostering and developing cultural cooperation
His Excellency Xavier Chatel, Ambassador of the French Republic to the UAE, and His Excellency Zaki Nusseibeh, Minister of State, reviewed the prospects of fostering cultural cooperation between the UAE & France.
This discussion came during a meeting streamed via Zoom with the new French ambassador, Xavier Chatel, where the two sides underlined the importance of further advancing the privileged relations between the two countries and merging their historical and strategical ties across all fronts with special emphasis on the field of culture.
UAE & France discuss cultural cooperation
His Excellency Zaki Nusseibeh highlighted the flagship and important projects co-launched by the two countries in the fields of culture and education, Louvre Abu Dhabi, and Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, and the UAE’s membership of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), and other initiatives.
The United Arab Emirates minister stressed the UAE’s commitment to enhancing OIF and the status of the French language in the UAE, singling out the decision to introduce the French language in all public schools.
The two sides from the two countries discussed an array of issues of common interest, and stressed their common endeavors to consolidate the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), given there are seven French language institutes in the United Arab Emirates.
UAE & France Strategic Dialogue
UAE and France ties were bolstered June 3 following a virtual UAE-France Strategic Dialogue session that discussed a roadmap for the two countries’ partnership over the next decade.
The high-level meeting, co-chaired by Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, and secretary-general of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, François Delattre, was attended by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, His Excellency. Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, and Minister of State for International Cooperation, Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy and UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.
The delegations also included ambassadors from both countries, as well as undersecretaries, chairpersons, and director-generals from key entities representing priority sectors.
During the meeting, the UAE and France discussed the 2020-2030 roadmap for the next decade that was hailed as “strategic” and “valuable.”
The meeting involved discussions on key sectors of bilateral cooperation, such as education, culture, health, space, and security, economy, trade and investment, oil and gas, nuclear and renewable energy, and efforts to overcome the coronavirus pandemic and coordinate respective post-COVID-19 policies by enhancing their partnership in the health sector through scientific, medical, and pharmaceutical cooperation.