March 5, 2012 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today met His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), and issued the following statement:
“This visit builds on the excellent discussions we had during my visit to the U.A.E. last fall and reinforces the warming relations between our two countries.
“Today, we discussed a wide range of issues, including our shared concern about the humanitarian situation in Syria and regional peace and security.
“We also discussed the launch of negotiations on a nuclear cooperation agreement between our two countries. The economy is the Canadian government’s top priority and such an agreement would create business opportunities for Canada’s nuclear industry and create jobs in both our countries.
“In addition, we discussed how we can expand person-to-person ties between our two countries. These are vital to expanding business and trade ties.
“To that end, I am pleased to announce we are pursuing the creation of a Canada-U.A.E. business council. This is a welcome step forward in boosting exchanges of all types and a sure-fire sign that our bilateral relations are getting even stronger.”
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