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The UAE President’s official visit programme will begin on October 21. The agenda of his talks with President Vladimir Putin includes the current state and future development of the multifaceted Russia-UAE cooperation and current international issues, in particular, the situation in the Middle East and North Africa.

President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will also take part in the BRICS Summit in Kazan.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, I am delighted to welcome you to Moscow.

All members of the Russian delegation fondly remember our most recent visit to your country and the warm welcome we enjoyed in December 2023.

All our agreements are fulfilled in full accordance with the level of our strategic partnership.

Russia-UAE trade has tripled in the past three years. We did notice a slight decline over the seven months of this year. This matter is for us and for the intergovernmental commissions to discuss.

Nevertheless, our relations are progressing across all sectors. Our mutual investment has reached $7 billion. Around 60 projects are funded by our sovereign funds, with a total scope of funding at $2 billion. Tourist exchanges between our countries are growing. We pay considerable attention to humanitarian cooperation, holding cross-days of Russian and Emirati culture. We also pay due attention to education. I will not go into details right now, but we will talk more specifically about this tomorrow and will visit an educational institution that is developing thanks to your participation, among other factors.

Thank you for arriving the day before your official visit to discuss these matters with me in an informal setting during this business dinner at my residence. Certainly, we will also touch on the very serious developments in the Middle East.

I will also inform you about other complicated circumstances that concern Russia directly – primarily, the Ukrainian crisis. Speaking of which, I would like to thank you for your role in addressing humanitarian issues, including the latest exchange of detainees.

Your Highness, I am delighted to see you here. During our informal meeting today, we will be able to talk about all matters of mutual interest.

I am happy to see you. Welcome!

President of the UAE Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (retranslated): Your Excellency, Mr President, thank you for inviting me to your home. A personal relationship between us will help us address many issues.

You have mentioned that trade between our countries has not reached the desired level but my visit to Russia is strong evidence that there are many opportunities ahead.

Over the past few years, trade between our countries has tripled. We cooperate in various sectors and hopefully will further develop and strengthen our bilateral relations.

We are very close to each other; my flight today took only four and a half hours. There are many connections between us, such as culture, traditions and mentality, so we are not far apart. This creates a strong bridge between our two countries. We are very determined to enhance our bilateral relations and to strengthen the ties that we currently have.

Today, we will discuss many topics and issues, including the Middle East, which we will talk about in greater detail.

Thank you once again, Mr President, for inviting me to your home.

Vladimir Putin: I am very glad.

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