DCCI organizes dinner reception to honor Austrian President

In attendance were, H.E. Obeid Humeid Al-Tayer, Chairman of DCCI's Board of Directors, Dr. Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, Mrs. Maria Rauch-Kallat, Minister of Health and Women, Mr. Gunther Platter, Minister of Defence, Christoph Leitl, President of Federal Economic Chamber of Austria, Omar Al-Rawi, Austrian MP, Abdurrahman Saif Al-Ghurair, First Deputy Chairman of DCCI, a number of the Chamber's Board Members, Abdurrahman Al-Mutaiwee, DCCI Director General, Dr. Gerald Kriechbaum, Austrian Ambassador to the UAE, Ahmed Rashid Al-Dawsari, UAE Ambassador to Austria, as well as a number of businessmen, CEOs, senior economists and investors from Austria.

Prior to the dinner reception, there was a signing of a MoU between the DCCI and the Federal Economic Chamber of Austria purposed on expanding, developing and enhancing the mutual cooperation horizons for the interest of the two friendly peoples. The MoU was signed by Obeid Humeid Al-Tayer, DCCI's Chairman of Board of Directors and Christoph Leitl, President of Federal Economic Chamber of Austria.

After greeting Dr. Heinz Fischer, President of the Federal Republic of Austria and his escorting delegation, Al-Tayer said: 'In the name of DCCI and the business community in Dubai, it gives me a great pleasure to welcome you to Dubai and hope this visit to play a key role to achieving more development and elevation in our historical mutual relations on all fronts, especially we, in the UAE in general and Dubai in particular, look forward to establishing a strategic trade partnership with Austria.

It also pleases me to announce that Austria occupies an outstanding position on the track record of the UAE's trade partners, through the rise on the total trade between the two countries by 34% within the last two years, as the UAE's exports to Austria increased by 219% in 2005, while the UAE's imports from Austria increased by 27% in the same year. Hence, I am pleased to invite your Excellency on this occasion to open a Consulate General and Trade Office for the Federal Republic of Austria in Dubai.'

Christoph Leitl, President of the Federal Economic Chamber of Austria: 'On behalf of our Chamber, I extend my thanks and appreciation to the DCCI for the efforts it exerted to organize this gathering, which honors our president, a success, and the warm reception you accorded to the Austrian delegation and I hope that tonight's gathering will be a threshold to a new stage to develop the bilateral relations between Dubai and Austria.'

Dr. Heinz Fischer, President of the Federal Republic of Austria, said: 'Let me express my deep-hearted pleasure to visit your esteemed country that day after day proves to be on the forefront of countries in the on economy level, thanks to the swift progression and economic growth. Dubai not only deserves to be the UAE's economic capital, also the whole region's due to the political, social and security stabilities your country is blessed with. We, in the Austrian government, are fully prepared to support the Austrian companies to raise their existence and contribute more efficiently to the development and progression the UAE in general and Dubai in particular.'

Dubai's foreign non-oil trade with Austria was AED457.3 million for the year 2004, its re-exports to Austria were AED29.2 million, Dubai's exports to Austria were AED1.04 million, while Dubai's imports from Austria were AED427.01 million the same year.