Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva met with UAE Minister of the Economy, Sultan Al Mansoori, and the State Minister for Food Security, Mariam Al Muhairi.

They agreed to work on a joint business forum, and to look into opportunities for joint projects in the spheres of farming, high tech, and the production of bio food.

‘We produce some of the tastiest vegetables and lamb. In the past, we used to export 40 million lambs annually to the Middle East and the Gulf Region. Our greatest treasure is water, which is considered to be the oil of the future. We can serve as your entry point into the European market,’ Minister Zaharieva stated.

‘Your lamb is indeed among the best in the world, and in the 1970s and 1980s you used to be one of the biggest importers here. Nowadays, our main import comes from New Zealand,’ Sultan Al Mansoori said.

Minister Zaharieva invited him to Bulgaria.

The UAE Minister of the Economy, Sultan Al Mansoori, has already been to Bulgaria on a visit: this happened in 2016. An Agreement on Economic and Technological Cooperation was signed then.

Ministers Zaharieva and Al Mansoori agreed to work towards establishing a direct Sofia – Abu Dhabi airline which is to be operated by Emirates.

Since 2013, a regular direct Sofia – Abu Dhabi airline has been operated by Wizz Air, and there is now a further regular low-cost airliner servicing the route,Fly Dubai, which has increased the tourist flow from and into both countries. Signing an EU-UAE agreement to exempt UAE nationals from short-stay visas would be another prerequisite for growth in the number of tourists.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) are a federal monarchy that comprises seven semi-autonomous territories (emirates): Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah, Fujairah, Umm al-Quwain and Ajman. The federal state was established in December, 1971. Its founder and its first president is the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, who managed to convince the rulers of the emirates to unite, and pushed forward his vision for the country’s dynamic development. This year, 2018, has been chosen as the year of Sheikh Zayed since it also marks his 100-year anniversary.