Meeting with UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs

Today I hosted United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for discussions on our increasingly close economic and security relationship.

In recognition of the importance of the bilateral relationship, Sheikh Abdullah is visiting as a Guest of the Australian Government. His visit to Australia follows our bilateral meeting during my recent visit to the UAE in late January.

The UAE is an important ally in the international coalition combatting Daesh (ISIL). Sheikh Abdullah and I discussed our shared commitment to defeating Daesh and ways to continue to strengthen our cooperation to counter all forms of violent extremism.

We also explored opportunities to further strengthen trade, investment and people-to-people links between Australia and the UAE. The UAE is a key economic partner for Australia in the Middle East, and is our 15th largest export market and trading partner.

Over 350 Australian businesses operate in the UAE in sectors including finance, infrastructure, tourism, education and information technology. The Australian Government is also encouraging further UAE investment in Australia to strengthen our economy and create more job opportunities.