González Laya closes her visit to the Emirates with a meeting with the prime minister

The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, has concluded her two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates with a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the country, as well as Governor of Dubai. The meeting was also attended by other officials, including the Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem al-Hashimy, with whom Laya had already met earlier in the day.

As in his meetings with the other Emirati authorities, González Laya emphasised the good relations between the two countries, whose relations and exchanges cover areas ranging from science to culture, including, of course, trade relations. In her meeting with Rashid al-Maktoum, they discussed mainly economic and political matters. They also discussed the situation caused by the pandemic, which greatly affects both areas.

Rashid al-Maktoum highlighted the fight against the pandemic being carried out by his country, one of the most prominent in the vaccination process. Both leaders agreed on the need to promote international cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 so that there are no major differences between countries. The Emirates is also making an important effort in this regard.

Finally, the Dubai Expo, which will begin in October, was discussed. Both González Laya and Rashid al-Maktoum expressed their firm desire for it to go ahead and for it to be a great sign of the return to normality in the country and in the world. The Spanish minister said that the Expo represents "the light at the end of a very dark tunnel". Together with Reem al-Hashimy, also director of the Expo, Laya visited Spain's pavilion.

After concluding her visit to the Emirates, Arancha González Laya headed for Saudi Arabia, her second stop on her tour, which also includes Qatar. Laya landed in Riyadh, where she was received by Saudi authorities and Spanish representatives.

Laya is taking advantage of this tour not only to meet with the country's authorities, but also to learn first-hand about the situation of Spanish companies in the region, as well as the expatriates who are working in these countries. In the case of the Emirates, for example, there are more than 300 Spanish companies and 9,000 expatriates. A community that, according to Laya, is collaborating with the country's progress.

For this reason, the minister's first visit to Riyadh was to visit the metro system. Lines 4, 5 and 6 of the Saudi capital's metro are currently being built by the FAST Consortium, which is headed by a Spanish company. Laya visited the site with Iago Mijangos, the director of the consortium led by FCC. This contract is the largest in the history of Spanish construction abroad, making Spain a leading country in the construction of this type of infrastructure. Laya will continue his visit to the Gulf monarchy by meeting with the country's authorities, just as he did in the Emirates.