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Diplomat Business Club connects business leaders in Dubai to highlight trade opportunities

The Diplomat Business Club on Tuesday connected business leaders from over 35 countries to highlight business trade and investment opportunities in the UAE.

The event also saw the launch of the UAE Business Opportunities Forum, which was inaugurated in the presence of Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Fahad Al Gergawi, chief executive officer of Dubai FDI. The event drew the participation of several prominent business and corporate leaders, as well as ambassadors, diplomats, and the heads of various business councils.

Javed Malik, president of the Diplomat Business Club, noted that the forum creates a unique networking opportunity for the international business community in the UAE, as it provides them with a chance to interact with various senior government officials with a view to further facilitating the expatriate business community in expanding and enhancing their business.

"The positive and pragmatic policies of the UAE leadership has enabled the country to successfully navigate through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, and re-asserted the UAE’s international ranking as the world's leading business and investment hub," Malik said. "This has sent a very positive signal to the international business community and given a boost to investor confidence about the resilience of the plethora of opportunities that the country has to offer."

“Diplomacy now revolves around trade and commerce,” he said in his opening address at the event. “Dubai, and the UAE, being a global village that attracts people from around the world, creates the perfect place for people of different backgrounds to do business. This forum, in the coming days, will bring together people of different nationalities and cultures to promote investment, trade, and the economic opportunities that the UAE has to offer.”

Speaking on the importance of the event, Fahad Al Gergawi, chief executive officer of Dubai FDI, said that there is no better time for it to happen than with Expo 2020 Dubai being just days away.

"We have had to face challenges and go through lots of tough times, but Expo 2020 is where we will show the world who we are and what we are capable of," he said. "We are here to celebrate the comeback of our communities after Covid-19 and we want to celebrate with the world a joyous moment, where business will be conducted, where culture will be shared, along with ideas on how the future is going to be shaped," he said.

Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, said that the UAE is entering a period where it is seen as a more attractive, competitive, and knowledge driven economy than it was several years ago. "The world is changing fast and we need to stay one step ahead of it. We have enhanced the ease of doing businesss in the UAE through a number of initiatives such as the new visa laws that send out a strong message to the international community."

"As the UAE turns 50, we have much to celebrate this year," he added. "Looking ahead at Expo 2020, it is an event that will connect the world with 191 countries from around the world gathering to share their ideas of the future. The event could not have come at a better time as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and deepen our trade and investment ties. We are very excited, so lets come together to make the event a success."

Speaking about the future plans of the Diplomat Business Club, Javed Malik said that under the banner of the UAE Business Opportunities Forum, further sector specific interactive sessions would be organised at regular frequencies, with a focus on the futuristic business in which the business community will have the opportunity to interact closely with key decision makers.

He said that the UAE has created a very future friendly business environment poised to fully embrace latest technologies like Blockchain, Artificial intelligence, 5G, Cloud Computing, and Space Exploration, and that the global business community can take advantage of these positive opportunities. He further added that the Diplomat Business Club, through this forum, would highlight and encourage international businesses, particularly tech related businesses, to choose the UAE as the ideal destination for them to live, work and do business.

rohma@khaleejtimes.com