UAE, Ireland learning from each other

I am delighted to say that the past year has seen the further strengthening of the relationship between Ireland and the UAE. With over 8,000 Irish people now resident in the country, this is now one of our largest overseas communities.
We are enormously grateful to the people of the UAE for the welcome which they have extended to the Irish who have settled here, and for the opportunity this offers to build long-standing friendships. Central to the life of the Irish community are organisations such as the Dubai Irish Society, the Dubai Irish Business Network and the Dubai Celts, which promotes Irish football and hurling to an increasingly international audience.
The Irish in Dubai have fully embraced the city's can-do approach, and are proud to be contributing to its exciting growth story.
This is also reflected in the increasing number of Irish companies doing business here, working in close cooperation with our market team which, under my chairmanship, brings together our Dubai-based trade promotion agencies Enterprise Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board. Irish goods exports to the UAE increased last year by an impressive 33 per cent, while imports to Ireland from the UAE also went up. More and more Irish companies are participating in the big trade fairs such as Arab Health and Gulfood, fully exploiting Dubai's unique advantages as a regional hub.
Both business and tourist traffic between Ireland and the UAE is greatly facilitated by excellent connectivity, with both Emirates and Etihad offering daily direct flights into Dublin. With such a large Irish community, family members are coming to visit loved ones living in the UAE. We are very pleased that tourism from the UAE to Ireland is also on the increase, as Emiratis are enchanted by the charms of the green island, and the legendary céad mile failte, one hundred thousand welcomes.
The tangible progress in our bilateral relations was reviewed during the visit last December by the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Charles Flanagan. His discussions with the UAE leadership reinforced our common view that we have much to learn from each other.
As countries which have both shown impressive rates of growth - Ireland is currently the fastest growing economy in the European Union - we share a commitment to the betterment of our people, a pride in our culture, and a commitment to work for a safer and more peaceful world. Together we are an impressive team.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, a seminal event in our nation's history which is being commemorated both in Ireland and around the world, including here in Dubai. I hope many of you will come along to the Madinat Theatre on April 22 and 23 to enjoy a wonderful programme of Irish drama, music, poetry and dance. Our Emirati and international friends will be particularly welcome.
I wish the readers of Khaleej Times a very happy St Patrick's Day.