UAE Reaffirms Commitment to Strengthening Economic Cooperation with EAEU
Astana, The Gulf Observer: On behalf of the President of the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, attended the Eurasia Economic Forum 2026 held in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The forum, convened alongside the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, brought together heads of state and senior officials from the Eurasian Economic Union to deliberate on key issues of economic cooperation, trade facilitation, and regional integration.
During the forum, Dr. Al Zeyoudi participated as a speaker in the session titled “Eurasian Trade and Logistics in a New Reality,” where he underscored the importance of expanding trade corridors, advancing paperless logistics systems, and promoting multilateral investment initiatives in the transport and logistics sector. He highlighted that strengthening transport infrastructure remains essential to deepening trade linkages among EAEU member states and global partners.
On the sidelines of the event, Dr. Al Zeyoudi held bilateral meetings with Andrey Slepnev and Arman Shakkaliyev, focusing on enhancing economic cooperation and exploring new avenues for partnership.
He also met with Daniyar Joldoshevich, Renat Bekturov, and Allen Chaizhunussov, where discussions centred on strengthening financial and trade collaboration across the region.
Dr. Al Zeyoudi was accompanied by Dr. Mohammed Saeed Al Ariqi, who also serves as non-resident ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic.
Highlighting the growing economic partnership between the UAE and EAEU countries, Dr. Al Zeyoudi noted that participation in the forum reflects the United Arab Emirates’ commitment to expanding international trade cooperation and fostering sustainable economic growth through strategic partnerships.
He further emphasized that the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade with EAEU member states reached over USD 33.3 billion in 2025, marking a 15% increase compared to the previous year, while trade with Kazakhstan stood at approximately USD 6.1 billion, reflecting continued growth. He added that the UAE remains a key trading partner for Kazakhstan among Arab countries.
This engagement builds on the Economic Partnership Agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and the UAE, aimed at reducing trade barriers, enhancing cooperation across strategic sectors, and advancing mutual economic diversification and sustainable development objectives.
