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His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, headed the UAE delegation participating in the second Middle East, North Africa and Europe Future Energy Dialogue (MEFED 2024), hosted by the Greek Ministry of Energy and Environment and the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
This comes on the sidelines of the 88th session of the Thessaloniki International Fair, in which the Federal Republic of Germany was hosted as the guest of honor this year.
The delegation included Abdullah Ahmed Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, representatives from ADNOC and Masdar, in the presence of Dr. Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic, and a number of embassy members.
During the visit, His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq held a series of high-level meetings with a number of ministers and officials in the Greek government, including Kostis Hatzidakis, Minister of National Economy and Finance, Olga Kefalogianni, Minister of Tourism, and Theodoros Skilakakis, Minister of Energy and Environment, with the aim of enhancing opportunities for joint economic cooperation and developing fruitful partnerships that contribute to the growth and sustainability of the economies of the two friendly countries.
In addition, His Excellency and Al Oula held a bilateral meeting with Dr. Robert Habeck, German Minister of Economy and Climate Action, which focused on energy security in Europe and supporting cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
The delegation also participated in the opening of the MEFED 2024 conference, where Abdullah Balalaa attended a high-level panel discussion entitled “Leveraging EU-MENA Infrastructure Cooperation.” During his participation, Balalaa highlighted the UAE’s National Hydrogen Strategy, which aims to make the country the world’s largest producer of low-carbon hydrogen by 2031.
In addition, Al-Ula pointed out the importance of the joint electricity interconnection initiative between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
AlUla also touched on the successful hosting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), which was held in the UAE in 2023, which witnessed exceptional progress and the launch of a new phase of global climate action, as the UAE leadership focused on making COP28 a conference for implementation, not just pledges, and the conference concluded with the UAE’s historic agreement between 198 parties, paving the way for a new phase of climate action.
Abdullah Al-Ula also met with Vladimir Malinov, Bulgarian Minister of Energy, Alexandra Sodoukou, Greek Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Dr. Petros Varelidis, Secretary General for Environment and Water at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, and a number of representatives of the Greek government.
