UAE and Canada hold fifth Consular Committee meeting

The United Arab Emirates and Canada convened the fifth session of their joint Consular Committee in Abu Dhabi, reaffirming the strong and long-standing partnership between the two countries and their shared commitment to advancing cooperation in consular affairs, emergency management, and citizen services.

The meeting was co-chaired by H.E. Faisal Eissa Lutfi, Assistant Undersecretary for Consular Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and H.E. Ms. Tara Denham, Assistant Deputy Minister of Emergency Management, Legal and Consular Affairs, and Senior Official for Hostage Affairs at Global Affairs Canada, in the presence of senior officials and representatives from both sides.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Lutfi welcomed the Canadian delegation to Abu Dhabi and conveyed the greetings of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, along with his best wishes for the success of the meeting. He highlighted the deep-rooted bilateral relations between the UAE and Canada, which date back to the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1974, and noted the steady progress achieved across political, economic, and consular domains.

H.E. Lutfi emphasized that the UAE and Canada continue to collaborate across a wide range of fields, and pointed to the recent visit of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Canada in June 2025 as a key milestone in strengthening bilateral ties and advancing discussions toward a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

At the consular level, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing coordination and delivering efficient, people-centric services for citizens and residents. The discussions highlighted the growing people-to-people ties between the UAE and Canada, reflecting the two nations’ shared values of care, cooperation, and mutual respect. Both delegations also emphasized continued collaboration in emergency management, legal affairs, and the digital transformation of consular services to ensure the safety and well-being of communities in both countries and abroad.