UAE Economy Minister: Opportunities for Cooperation with Israel in Vital Sectors

UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri. WAM
UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri. WAM
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UAE Economy Minister: Opportunities for Cooperation with Israel in Vital Sectors

UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri. WAM
UAE Minister of Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri. WAM

UAE’s Minister of Economy, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, has said that the peace accord between his country and Israel would open up new horizons for economic cooperation to serve their mutual interests and enhance the foundations for sustainable development in the region.

The Minister said Tuesday that the deal stimulates trade and investment cooperation between the UAE and Israel, and the region.

He further highlighted the new business opportunities that would be made available under the deal.

"We have promising opportunities for cooperation in vital sectors that serve the two countries' future economic development agendas. These include medicines, energy, life sciences, food security, financial services, tourism and travel, in addition to the fields of space, defense, security, research and development,” said Al Marri.

He was speaking in a webinar hosted by the American-Emirati Business Council and the US-Israel Business Initiative of the American Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the Trade and Commercial Office of the UAE Embassy in Washington.

The webinar was attended by more than 500 business council and chamber members, most prominently the US-UAE Business Council, the US-Israel Business Initiative, and directors of several multinational companies.

During the webinar, Al Marri said that the UAE and Israel will work together to explore areas of cooperation and jointly develop vital partnership projects between business communities in both countries.

"The outcomes of signing this historic accord will pave the way for new business and investment opportunities, generating new cash flows and robust business activities that will provide immediate benefits to the UAE and Israel. The private sectors in both countries, as well as the regional economies, will undoubtedly benefit from this accord," Emirates News Agency (WAM) quoted him as saying.

He added: "American businesses play a pivotal role in establishing the economic and commercial ties between UAE and Israel, and the American investors and companies can be major players in this regard and serve as vital links by functioning out of their headquarters and offices located in the UAE and Israel."

Furthermore, he elaborated on the main plans and objectives adopted by the UAE government for the upcoming phase, highlighting the government’s general plan and a package of 33 initiatives to support the national economy and promote sustainability, WAM reported.

"Our efforts and initiatives in this regard are part of our vision to overcome the economic challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, promote growth, support business activities across all key sectors, enhance national economy’s resilience and competitiveness, and develop a long-term economic development model," the minister concluded.



Aramco, Gulf Cryo Cooperate in Testing Lower-carbon Hydrogen

The initiative will facilitate testing Aramco’s newly-developed technologies at pilot and pre-commercial scale. Photo: Aramco
The initiative will facilitate testing Aramco’s newly-developed technologies at pilot and pre-commercial scale. Photo: Aramco
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Aramco, Gulf Cryo Cooperate in Testing Lower-carbon Hydrogen

The initiative will facilitate testing Aramco’s newly-developed technologies at pilot and pre-commercial scale. Photo: Aramco
The initiative will facilitate testing Aramco’s newly-developed technologies at pilot and pre-commercial scale. Photo: Aramco

Saudi Aramco has signed an agreement with Gulf Cryo, a regional leader of end-to-end industrial gases and decarbonization solutions in the MENAT region, to conduct testing of lower-carbon hydrogen and carbon capture & utilization technologies under Saudi Arabian climate conditions enabling future commercial deployment.

The agreement underscores Aramco’s desire to develop a lower carbon emission future through investing in research and technology development, to support business growth and meet global energy demand while reducing scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions to net-zero by 2050 from its wholly own operated assets.

The initiative will facilitate testing Aramco’s newly-developed technologies at pilot and pre-commercial scale. The testing and assessment will be conducted at Gulf Cryo's newly established Applications and Technologies Center (ATC) at King Salman Energy Park (SPARK), a press statement said Thursday.

Aramco’s senior vice president of Technology Oversight and Coordination (TOC), Ali A. Al-Meshari, said: “This collaboration is important in advancing our early stage technologies to the next phase of development, which will help create local ecosystem for accelerating technology deployment leveraging in-kingdom talent and infrastructure.”

As for Gulf Cryo Vice Chairman, Eng. Abdel Salam Al Mazro, he said that “the project will leverage the capabilities of our Center to deliver groundbreaking lower-carbon hydrogen and decarbonization solutions, tailored to the unique needs of Aramco.”

In addition to driving technological advancements in decarbonization, this collaboration supports Saudi Arabia’s strategy to enhance localization and build local capabilities. The facility is planned to be ready for commissioning by the end of 2025, the statement added.