Interview of the UAE Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh with Armenian News - NEWS.am.

What do you think about the development of cooperation between the two countries?

First of all, I want to thank the Armenian government for the warm welcome. We are happy to participate in the summit in Yerevan, in one of the oldest cities of the world.

Our goal is to participate in the summit, we have the same approaches, the same principles, we want to deepen cooperation with all countries involved in summit of La Francophonie. And at the same time, the goal of our participation is to develop cooperation with the Armenian government, in particular, taking into  account friendly ties with the Armenian people.

We would like to develop relations in different areas.

Can you mention any specific programs?

Currently, we can state a serious increase in trade turnover. If in 2014-15 it was only $ 25 million, then in 2017-18 it reached $ 250 million.
The sphere of tourism is also developing, it can be stated that a large number of tourists travel from the United Arab Emirates to Armenia. There are many projects related to agriculture and tourism.

Why the trade turnover is so high?

Most of it comes from agriculture. Since Armenia is known for its fruits and vegetables, as well as cattle breeding. A meeting of the Armenian-UAE intergovernmental commission is planned in the near future, during which the areas of cooperation will be clarified.

Are there companies with joint capital?
Now I can not specify the exact number, but I can say that a large Armenian community lives in the UAE, which contributed to the development of the country. I also know that there are companies with such companies.

Armenia, being a member of the EAEU and signing the Agreement with the EU, is trying to be a bridge between these two structures. Are the UAE interested in this direction?

The relations with Armenia aren't exhausted by economic relations. We are united by friendship and warm relations, and we see the development of ties in this and other areas. We came here as part of the Francophone Summit, and one of the areas of cooperation is the development of common values