Prince Joachim opens Denmark-UAE meet

Prince Joachin was also the guest of honour on the occasion. The two-day conference will focus on food trade, food technology, agriculture and healthcare, and will also cover issues pertaining to communication, environment, construction, materials and shipping.

"Many Danes have been living in this great country for years, and an even greater number of Danes have visited the country. They are all impressed by the dynamic pace of economic and social developments which they have witnessed in the last couple of decades," Prince Joachim said in his inaugural speech. Sven Erik Nordberg, Danish Ambassador to Riyadh, and Mrs Mariann Fischer Boel, Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, also addressed the gathering.

Prince Joachim said that the people of UAE should be commended for "an extraordinary drive to develop their country into what it is today: a highly advanced society that, in so many areas, is at the forefront of this region."

Speaking on the occasion Jassim Mohammed bin Darwish, Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of Municipalities (GSM) of the UAE, lauded the co-operation between the UAE and the Kingdom of Denmark.

He said that the GSM, since its establishment in 1980, has worked towards strengthening friendship and co-operation between the two countries. The GSM has organised several visits and meetings between officials and specialists of UAE-municipalities and their Danish counterparts.