Dubai, 1 September 2023 – Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, met with Damien O’Connor, New Zealand’s Minister of Trade and Export Growth, in Dubai to explore deeper economic collaboration between the two countries.
The meeting came as part of a visit to the UAE by a delegation of New Zealand’s leading trade officials. Al Zeyoudi and O’Connor discussed a range of issues, including the potential for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the UAE and New Zealand.
A CEPA would boost trade and investment between the two countries, which already have a productive relationship. In 2022, non-oil trade between the UAE and New Zealand reached US$805 million.
Al Zeyoudi said that a CEPA would “significantly boost” these figures. He added that New Zealand is a “valued partner” for the UAE and that the two countries share a “firm belief in open, rules-based trade as a catalyst for sustainable economic growth.”
O’Connor said that the exploratory discussions were an “important first step” towards a trade agreement with the UAE. He added that the UAE is “one of our key export destinations in the region and a valued bilateral partner for New Zealand.”
The talks follow the recent visit to New Zealand by Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation. During her visit, she signed a number of bilateral agreements with New Zealand, including an MoU on food security and an MoU on securing export credit.
The UAE’s CEPA programme is a cornerstone of the “We the UAE 2031” economic vision, which seeks to push non-oil foreign trade beyond AED4 trillion by the end of the decade. To date, the UAE has signed five CEPA agreements with India, Israel, Turkey, Indonesia, and Cambodia.
The New Zealand delegation to the UAE included Dr. Richard Kay, Ambassador of New Zealand to the UAE; Wendy Matthews, Director-General of the Trade Policy and Negotiations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Jonathan Curr, Director-General of the Middle East and Africa Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Sean O’Brien, Press Secretary to the Minister for Trade and Export Growth; Rebecca Good, Private Secretary to Minister for Trade and Export Growth; Sammy O’Hara, Policy Officer, Trade Policy and Negotiations Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; and Jessica Minehan-Fitzgerald, New Zealand Embassy Abu Dhabi.
