Informal meeting with President of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

The UAE President's official visit programme will begin on October 21. The agenda of his talks with President Vladimir Putin includes the current state and future development of the multifaceted Russia-UAE cooperation and current international issues, in particular, the situation in the Middle East and North Africa.

President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Al Nahyan Mohammed bin ZayedPresident of the United Arab Emirateswill also take part in the BRICS Summit in Kazan.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, I am delighted to welcome you to Moscow.

All members of the Russian delegation fondly remember our most recent visit to your country and the warm welcome we enjoyed in December 2023.

All our agreements are fulfilled in full accordance with the level of our strategic partnership.

Russia-UAE trade has tripled in the past three years. We did notice a slight decline over the seven months of this year. This matter is for us and for the intergovernmental commissions to discuss.

Nevertheless, our relations are progressing across all sectors. Our mutual investment has reached the worth of $7 billion. Around 60 projects are funded by our sovereign funds, with a total scope of funding at $2 billion. Tourist exchanges between our countries are growing. We pay much attention to humanitarian cooperation, holding cross-days of Russian and Emirati culture. We also pay due attention to education. I will not go into details right now, but we will talk more specifically about this tomorrow and will visit an education institution that develops thanks to your participation, among other things.

Thank you for arriving the day before your official visit to discuss these matters with me in an informal setting during this business dinner at my residence. Certainly, we will also touch on the very serious developments in the Middle East.

I will also inform you about other complicated circumstances that concern Russia directly - primarily, the Ukrainian crisis. Speaking of which, I would like to thank you for your role in addressing humanitarian issues, including the latest exchange of detainees.

Your Highness, I am delighted to see you here. During our informal meeting today, we will be able to talk about all matters of mutual interest.

Happy to see you. Welcome!

To be continued.