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UAE is one of the most aspirational countries in the world, Arif Z. Lalani, Ambassador of Canada, tells Khaleej Times in a candid chat

There are few diplomats who talk about nation building and Nabati poetry with equal eloquence. Arif Z. Lalani, Ambassador of Canada to the UAE is one such emissary. The Ugandan-born Lalani arrived in Canada with his parents at the age of five after his family faced persecution by the country’s military under Idi Amin. Raised and educated in Canada where he picked up a degree in International relations from the University of British Columbia and a Master’s degree from the London School of economics, Lalani joined the Foreign Service.

Following postings in Washington DC and New York, he assumed his first head of Mission position at the age of 38 as Canada’s Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He served as his country’s top diplomat in Afghanistan before arriving in the UAE as ambassador in 2012. Lalani, 45, confides that the UAE continues to inspire him.

Arif Z. Lalani, Ambassador of Canada to the UAE

“I think the UAE is one of the most aspirational countries in the world at the moment. It has an aspiration to be the best, not just in the Gulf and the Arab world, but also in the world. This kind of passion is needed in this region and beyond, and that is why I call it the Silicon Valley of the Middle East,” Lalani told Khaleej Times. The success of Silicon Valley was made possible due to people full of fresh ideas and access to venture capital. “That is exactly the case with the UAE. The leaders of this country have a vision and access to capital to make it come true. I think it is an exciting place to be in.”

For Ambassador Lalani the main challenge is to bring about an awareness of the importance that Canada and the UAE have for each other. He elucidates, “Canada has been part of the nation building story of the UAE and we want to be part of the future. Canadian firms have helped build Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The Maqta bridge, for example, was built by a Canadian consulting firm. We still have the typed copy of a one-page contract of the bridge signed by the late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. We built the international airport in Abu Dhabi. The Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE were based on the Canadian schools of technology model. Emirates Aluminium (Emal) was built by a Canadian firm. The list goes on and on.”

Ranking high in international benchmarks of education, government transparency, economic freedom, low corruption and the ease of doing business, Canada is heavily invested in the UAE, a country with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. “We have over 40,000 Canadians who work and live here. More than 150 major Canadian firms use the UAE as a regional base. From the iconic Emirates Towers in Dubai where the PM of the UAE has his office to the supervising contractors of Burj Khalifa, Canadians have a stake in the building of this nation. Cooperation in areas like Emiratisation, governance, training, education and public service can bring the two countries even closer. If the UAE is looking for solutions, they should look at Canada because we are willing to provide those solutions,” Lalani says very matter-of-factly.

Under his watch the relationship between Canada and the UAE has become stronger. The UAE is now the largest export market in the region for Canada.

Trade is up over the last quarter. The political relationship is rock solid with the two foreign ministers visiting each other frequently. “Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the UAE and John Baird, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, have met four times in less than two years. We have a Shared Strategic Agenda, which is centred on three themes: Creating prosperity for both countries, working together for regional and international security, and cooperating for development in third countries.”

Industries in Canada, which have a potential in this country, are manifold. There are several MoUs signed between the two countries with a view to fostering partnerships between Canadian and Emirati companies. The Canada-UAE Innovation Partnership Week, which took place at the end of September, brought together a number of Canadian firms looking to partner with Emirati organisations. Apart from that, areas like infrastructure, energy, health and agriculture are also in focus. Canada is the largest exporter of agricultural and agri-food products to the UAE. The Tim Hortons' diplomacy is there for everyone to see.

“We have created the Canada-UAE Business Council to bring together the top executives in the UAE and Canada. It is about raising awareness and identifying and agreeing on priority sectors for commercial activity. The government’s job is to create an enabling environment and that is what we are ensuring. Now the private sector has to go through the door and capitalise on it,” Lalani maintained. Calling the operating environment in the UAE the most competitive and business friendly in the region, the Ambassador wants the UAE to invest in Canada, which offers thebest returns among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). With Canada having one of the highest GDP growth rates, lowest unemployment rates, most competitive corporate taxes, and with it being rated amongst the top nations in the G7 for ease of doing business, Lalani waxes eloquent, “If you are looking to invest, look at Canada. There are more condos being built in Toronto at the moment than in Manhattan. One of the busiest markets in the world is downtown Toronto.”

Sitting nearly 7,000 miles away from Toronto, in his ninth floor office, overlooking the new Moraya Island business district of Abu Dhabi, Ambassador Lalani easily shuffles from his role as a diplomat to that of a connoisseur of arts and culture. “I am really inspired and interested by falconry and poetry of the UAE. To watch the birds fly helps you understand the UAE a little bit. I am also trying to learn more about poetry of the land. The more I read Nabati (popularly known as people's poetry or Bedouin poetry) the more I realise the connection of what I call the transitional years of the UAE. The modern Nabati poetry tells you the tale of this country – its nomadic lifestyle and how a new society and a great country came into being.”

—sadiq@khaleejtimes.com