The United Arab Emirates and Australia hold their 9th Consular Committee meeting

The United Arab Emirates and the Australia held their ninth joint consular committee meeting to enhance and bolster cooperation in all joint consular fields and provide outstanding consular support and services to the citizens of the two countries.

From the UAE side, His Excellency Rashed Rahmah, Director of the Consular Services Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, chaired the meeting, and from the Australian side, Her Excellency Alison Duncan, Assistant Secretary for Consular Communications and Policy at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

His Excellency Rashed Rahmah, Director of the Consular Services Department at MoFAIC stressed the importance of cooperation in the consular field and its role in boosting and strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, praising the positive developments achieved during this year in terms of bilateral consular relations. He praised efforts exerted by both sides to provide distinguished consular services and facilitate citizens' movement between the two countries.

In turn, Her Excellency Alison Duncan, Assistant Secretary for Consular Communications and Policy at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, praised the pioneering position enjoyed by the UAE at the regional and international levels, and the vital role it plays at various levels, stressing the importance of this committee in strengthening the frameworks of consular cooperation in all domains.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed several joint consular matters between the two countries and plans to follow up and develop them, in addition to means of enhancing joint consular cooperation.

His Excellency Rashed Rahmah conveyed the greetings of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and his praise of the strong bilateral relations between the two countries in the consular field and his wishes of success for the meeting, which reflects the aspirations and directions of the visionary leadership. He added that the bilateral relations between the UAE and Australia witnessed significant leaps, a direct contribution to consolidating and advancing these relations on bilateral and global levels. He also stressed that the United Arab Emirates and Australia have strong and solid relations anchored in history and based on many common interests.

On her part, Her Excellency Alison Duncan, Assistant Secretary for Consular Communications and Policy at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, praised the development of bilateral relations between the two countries over the past years, especially in the field of consular cooperation, stressing that his country aspires to develop cooperation and share expertise with the UAE in this field, to the benefit of the citizens of the two countries, and to enhance bilateral relations.

Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security, Ministry of Education and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company in the UAE, as well as representatives from the competent authorities in Australia, took part in the meeting.