"The United Arab Emirates is an important and promising foreign trade partner of Bulgaria among the Gulf countries," said Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Demographic Policy Mariana Nikolova, quoted by the Council of Ministers' press service. Nikolova met with UAE Economy Minister Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori in Dubai.

During the talks, she expressed hope that bilateral cooperation would continue to grow at an increasing pace. Deputy Prime Minister Nikolova stressed that the priority in our relations is to attract investments from the UAE in Bulgaria, including through the creation of joint ventures and other forms of enhancement of bilateral investment activity.

"We believe that there is great potential for deepening relations, especially in the areas of mutual trade, investment, tourism and agriculture," the PM said.

The two sides agreed to hold the first session of the Joint Economic Commission before EXPO DUBAI 2020, which will start on October 20, 2020.

The talks also focused on supporting small and medium-sized businesses by enhancing cooperation in all areas of the economy. In this regard, Minister Al Mansoori expressed his desire to sign a memorandum of cooperation on small and medium-sized enterprises. Special attention was also paid to the potential for cooperation in the fields of innovation and aviation. The Executive Director of the Executive Agency for Promotion of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Boyko Takov also participated in the meeting.

The Deputy Prime Minister later attended the inauguration of the 25th edition of the GULFOOD 2020 International Exhibition, the largest food fair in the Gulf region. The Deputy Prime Minister visited our national booth and got acquainted with the production of all 21 Bulgarian companies participating in the exhibition.