Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi attended an official dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney

Dinner hosted by the Prime Minister of Canada

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, attended a dinner hosted for him by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during an official visit. According to The National, Carney expressed hope that the visit would strengthen friendship and cooperation between the UAE and Canada, while Sheikh Khaled thanked him for the warm reception and hospitality extended to him and the accompanying delegation.

What the sides discussed

Over dinner, the two sides discussed UAE–Canada relations and ways to elevate them to a new level of cooperation, as well as a number of issues of mutual interest, with an emphasis on deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries. The visit has an economic focus: the delegation includes Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of Foreign Trade Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi and Minister of Investment Mohamed Al Suwaidi.

Context: an economic agreement and recent contacts

The visit took place a few weeks after a telephone conversation between UAE President Sheikh Mohamed and Carney devoted to deepening partnership in the economy, investment and advanced technology. The practical foundation of the relationship is set by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) signed in July between the UAE and Canada, aimed at reducing barriers to trade in goods, services and investment. The visit to Canada came a few days after Sheikh Khaled's official visit to Greece, where he met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and where the UAE agreed to invest an additional €15 billion ($16.8 billion) under a joint initiative.