Ladies and Gentlemen
We are very pleased to be in Japan in this magnificent city Osaka, and particularly to attend the Dubai Osaka Economic Partnership Forum.
I would like to take this opportunity to applaud the sister city relationship between Dubai and Osaka, and I hope that together we will work on consolidating trade and
economic ties between our two cities.

Ladies and Gentlemen, As you are aware Japan is the second largest trading partner for the UAE. Both countries have been maintaining cordial relations for a long period of time. The foundation for this link has been laid by the father of the UAE our former president late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and further enhanced by our country’s present leaders HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and HH Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, Ruler of Dubai. They are following the footsteps of our late president in taking this relationship to further steps. Dubai and Osaka in particular have been reaping the benefits of those cordial ties, since we signed the sistership city agreement in October 2002.

Since then several high level delegations have made official visits to both the cities and held talks on strengthening of the association for a better future.
Ladies and Gentlemen, A large number of representatives from businesses, industries, service organizations and government departments are attending this forum. I sincerely hope that serious deliberations on our part will pave the way for taking the right steps towards the betterment of our cities.

And I am confident that the Dubai Osaka Economic Partnership Forum will be a new opportunity for enhancing trade relations between the two cities.
Finally, I hope that this forum will be a success, and hope that our relationship will be able to achieve its objectives.
Thank you.