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Interview

G42-Microsoft partnership in Kenya 'just the beginning,' says UAE trade minister

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi discusses momentum in UAE trade with the US, the benefits of economic diversification and Africa’s priority in UAE trade policy.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) listens to a speech by United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi (R) during the inauguration of the newly built floating solar power plant on the water that can generate 192 mega watts of peak electricity in cooperation between the Indonesian government and Masdar from the UAE, at Cirata Reservoir, West Java, on November 9, 2023. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP) (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images)
Indonesian President Joko Widodo (L) listens to a speech by United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi (R) during the inauguration of the newly built floating solar power plant on the water that can generate 192 mega watts of peak electricity in cooperation between the Indonesian government and Masdar from the UAE, at Cirata Reservoir, West Java, on November 9, 2023. — BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON — On his visit to Washington this week, Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE minister of state for foreign trade, is looking to expand the already robust trade ties between the countries and to build on the more than 1,500 American companies operating in the UAE.

Zeyoudi is leading a large delegation from the UAE that has come to attend the SelectUSA Investment conference in Washington. 

The visit comes as UAE-US trade and investment ties continue to flourish. Earlier in June, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE national security advisor and influential brother of the country’s president, met with US officials and tech executives as he sought to push a reset of economic and security ties between the two countries. 

The UAE’s non-oil trade has been key to its burgeoning economy and trade relations with the United States.

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