8th session of UAE-Australia Consular Committee held remotely

The Emirati-Australian Consular Committee convened for its 8th session that took place yesterday remotely.

The UAE delegation was chaired by Faisal Lutfi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Consular Affairs, while the Australian delegation was chaired by Kate Logan, First Secretary of Consular Affairs and Crisis Management at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

During the meetings, Lutfi conveyed the greetings of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who lauded the strong bilateral ties between the two countries in the of consular affairs.

Both sides discussed several joint consular affairs issues, current developments and ways of strengthening their consular cooperation.

Lutfi praised the joint efforts of the two countries since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which helped them overcome the first stages of the crisis and led to the significant development bilateral ties.

He also stressed UAE’s keenness to strengthen these efforts and endeavors to serve the interests of the citizens of the two friendly countries and provide outstanding consular services and care for the citizens of both countries, to bolster the strategic and historical ties spanning over 40 years and founded on understanding and mutual respect.

Logan commended the bilateral relations between the two countries, most notably the UAE's efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that it assisted Australian nationals during the crisis. She stressed that her country aspires to develop cooperation and exchange experiences with the UAE to benefit the citizens of the two countries, and strengthens bilateral relations between the two friendly countries.

Representatives from various departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Identity and Citizenship Authority and the Ministry of Education in the UAE attended the meeting, as well as representatives of relevant Australian authorities.

Australia was among the top 10 countries to attract UAE nationals in 2019, with Australians ranked 11th in terms of visitors to UAE territory in the same year.