France strengthens trade relations with UAE and Qatar: government official

In an interview with AFP on Thursday, France’s trade minister expressed excitement about the increasing trade connections between France and the Gulf Arab states, particularly Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The minister described the deepening partnership as positive progress, highlighting this as a piece of good news in the realm of international trade.

French lawmaker Olivier Becht, during his recent visit to the UAE, highlighted the robust trade relationship between France and the Emirates, which now exceeds 7 billion euros annually. This figure marks a notable increase from the pre-pandemic level of 6 billion euros, showcasing the resilience and growth of the economic ties between the two countries.

Trade with Qatar has nearly doubled in the recent period, now exceeding 4.6 billion euros. This significant increase is attributed to the surge in French imports of Qatari liquefied natural gas, according to the source.

“We have not only restored the (trade) figures that were recorded before the pandemic, but also improved them, and this is good news,” Becht told AFP in Dubai, two days after he held meetings in Doha.

Last year during a visit by Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan to Paris, the UAE and France signed a strategic agreement to cooperate in the energy sector, including in hydrogen, renewable and nuclear energy.

“The main areas of cooperation” with Qatar and the UAE, Becht said, include energy transition. He singled out electric vehicles, green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel as main areas of focus.

French-Qatari trade ties have been boosted by a strong energy partnership, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked an energy supply crisis, the trade minister said.

“We have a long-term partnership with Qatar in many fields, especially in the field of energy,” Becht said.

“We will still be using gas in the next few years,” he added, arguing that the energy transition will take a long time.

Earlier on Wednesday, Becht met UAE Foreign Trade Minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.

“Trade ties between the UAE and France are growing fast,” Al Zeyoudi said afterwards, adding that non-oil bilateral trade in 2022 grew by more than 20 percent from 2021.