Dubai and Finland consolidate trade ties

HE Hisham Al Shirawi, 2nd Vice Chairman, Dubai Chamber, welcomed the Finnish delegation including Government officials and CEOs from construction, energy, defence, and telecommunications sectors as well as members of Dubai's Construction Business, Environmental Business and Building Materials Business groups that along with the Finnish Business Council operate under the auspices of Dubai Chamber. HE Matti Lassila, Ambassador of Finland to the UAE, was also present at the reception.

Al Shirawi maintained that Dubai is keen to consolidate trade ties with Finland and welcomes Finnish businessmen to invest in the Emirate as this fastest growing city in the world offers tremendous investment opportunities backed by the Government's support to the private sector and its business-friendly economic policies. He emphasized on the fact that the Emirate attracts investors from over 168 countries of the world in trading, banking and financial services and consultancy, information technology, exports and re-exports, real estate and construction, logistics & maritime services and others.

He informed the delegation that the Dubai Chamber was playing its role of an astute business facilitator and offered world-class services to all its stakeholders at home and abroad and is doing its best in exploring new markets for its members from the different economic sectors of Dubai.

Al Shirawi observed that the volume of non-oil trade between Dubai and Finland reached Dhs8.6bn in the year 2008 and that the country ranked 33rd on the list of Dubai's top trading partners. He stressed on the need to increase the volume of bilateral trade and to explore the business opportunities available in Dubai as well as in the greater Helsinki area which generates around a third of Finland's GDP.

The 2nd Vice Chairman of Dubai Chamber assured the visiting delegation of the Chamber's commitment to extend all possible facilities to the Finnish businessmen and help them set up new direct businesses and joint ventures in Dubai.

On his part, HE Mauri Pekkarinen, Finland's Minister of Economic Affairs, thanked Dubai Chamber for offering excellent services to the Finnish business community in the Emirate and said that his delegation's visit to the UAE has opened up a number of new business opportunities as the visitors looked forward to enhanced trade relations with their counterparts in the Emirate.