Deputy PM Nguyen Chi Dung (left) meets with Minister of Economy Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri. (Photo: chinhphu.vn)

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung held meetings with ministers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and leaders of the UAE and international agencies and organisations as part of his participation in the 14th Annual Investment Meeting (AIM Congress 2025) in Abu Dhabi and his working visit to the Middle Eastern country from April 7 to 9.

Meeting with Minister of Economy Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Dung emphasised that Vietnam treasures its friendship and cooperation with the UAE. He expressed the desire to create breakthroughs in economic and investment ties between the two countries by encouraging UAE enterprises to increase their investment in Vietnam’s key projects across potential sectors such as digital transformation, green transition, clean energy, semiconductor, financial centres, and free trade zone complexes.

The Vietnamese Government will provide favourable conditions for UAE businesses to explore cooperation opportunities in Vietnam, he affirmed, expressing his hope that the two sides will soon reach consensus on large-scaled investment projects in the near future.

For his part, Minister Al Marri confirmed that UAE investors are increasingly interested in the Vietnamese market. He agreed with the Vietnamese Deputy PM's proposals and pledged to actively encourage UAE agencies and enterprises to enhance cooperation with Vietnam.

To facilitate businesses' exploration of projects and investment opportunities, and to implement the commitments made during the previous visit to the UAE by PM Pham Minh Chinh, the two sides agreed to jointly organise a large investment forum in Vietnam, expected in October this year. They also agreed to enhance exchanges and share policy-making experiences in areas such as anti-money laundering, innovation, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence (AI).

At the meeting with UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Bin Hassan Alsuwaidi, Dung called on both sides to speed up the approval and effective implementation of the recently signed economic and investment cooperation agreements, and soon establish working groups in specific sectors to regularly coordinate, discuss, and promote the effective implementation of joint projects.

To achieve pioneering investment projects as early as this year, the two sides agreed to continue encouraging enterprises to strengthen connections and share information about investment-attracting projects, especially in priority areas such as infrastructure, renewable energy, green transformation, information technology, logistics, financial centres, and free trade zones.

Dung stated that the Vietnamese Government will create optimal conditions for UAE enterprises to seek cooperation and investment opportunities in Vietnam. He also proposed that the two sides promote negotiations on a visa exemption agreement for holders of ordinary passports to enhance people-to-people exchanges and economic links.

The UAE Minister of Investment affirmed that Vietnam is an important market for UAE investors. Agreeing with the Vietnamese side’s proposals, he also expressed readiness to consider investing in potential, prioritised, and promising projects in Vietnam.

On this occasion, Dung called on the UAE to support Vietnam in negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to further facilitate economic cooperation between Vietnam and the region, including the UAE.

On the sidelines of AIM Congress 2025, the Vietnamese Deputy PM met with Jordan Ministry of Investment's Secretary General Zaher Al Qatarneh. He proposed that the two sides increase delegation exchanges at all levels, especially the high level, to strengthen political trust and pave the way for expanding bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Regarding economic collaboration, the two sides agreed on the need to open markets for each other’s strong export products, as well as to leverage the roles of Vietnam and Jordan as gateways to access potential markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. They also agreed to boost the organisation of trade and investment promotion conferences and seminars to showcase cooperation potential and opportunities, and connect the two countries’ businesses, aiming to reach a bilateral trade turnover of 500 million USD in the coming time.

To establish a legal framework for cooperation, the two sides agreed to soon negotiate and sign important economic cooperation documents such as the agreement on investment promotion and protection and the agreement on avoidance of double taxation, to accelerate the establishment of a political consultation mechanism to review and promote bilateral cooperation, and to consider the early establishment of representative offices in each other’s countries.

At a meeting with Samir Hamrouni, CEO of the World Free Zones Organisation (World FZO), and Nan Li Collins, Director of the Investment and Enterprise Division of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Dung said that Vietnam is interested in expanding economic growth drivers, with the formation and development of free trade zones being one of the new and important drivers.

Recognising the global trend of trade and investment liberalisation amid a complex and volatile context, he asked the UNCTAD and WFZO leaders to share insights into the conditions and key factors necessary for building and developing free trade zones.

As part of his activities in the UAE, Dung also received Khadem AlRemeithi, Executive Director of the Infrastructure Department at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA); Nasser Alketbi, ADIA Deputy Director; Fahad Al Ameri, Executive Director of the Office for Development Affairs under the UAE President Court; Clive Hopkins, head of Airport Operations Division at the Dubai National Air Travel Agency (DNATA); Ali Al Amine, Executive Vice President and head of Emerging Markets at Group 42 Holding Ltd (G42); along with leaders of logistics company DP World.

He also visited and had a working session at Dubai AI Campus, a technology and artificial intelligence hub./.