UAE, Australia discuss ways to strengthen ties

Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia, on Wednesday received Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in the presence of Julie Bishop, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs. 
Also present on the occasion were, Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne and Steven Ciobo, Australian Minister for Trade and Investment. The two sides touched on the outstanding bilateral relations between the two countries. 
Shaikh Abdullah and Turnbull reviewed the existing cooperation and friendly relations between the UAE and Australia and ways of boosting economic and trade relations. They also discussed encouraging investments and advanced industrial projects of interest to the two countries. 
Shaikh Abdullah asserted the importance of exchanging such visits between officials of the two countries within the framework of boosting bilateral cooperation, expressing the keenness of the UAE to extend bridges of cooperation with Australia. 
The Australian Prime Minister on his part said his country's keenness to strengthen the bonds of relations with the UAE, to which it attaches great importance. 
With Julie Bishop, Shaikh Abdullah discussed ways of developing and strengthening bilateral relations particularly in terms of exchange of investments, and establishment of more joint ventures. 
They discussed ways to benefit from the economic advantages and excellent reputation of both the countries globally and reviewed the overall developments on the regional and international arenas and exchange views on a number of issues of common concern. 
The defence minister, Marise Payne, on the other hand discussed the overall developments in the regional and international arenas and exchanged views on a number of issues of common concern, including cooperation in the fight against extremism and terrorism. 
During the meeting, with Australia's trade minister Ciobo, the Australian Minister for Trade highlighted his country's keenness to strengthen relations with the UAE and boost mutual cooperation in various fields based on the excellent relations between the two countries and the good reputation enjoyed by the UAE at the international level, commending the UAE's progress and development in various fields.