Mr Skuodis and the UAE Minister of Economy will discuss bilateral cooperation in transport and telecommunications

On Friday, Marius Skuodis, Minister of Transport and Communications, will meet HE Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who is visiting Lithuania. The ministers will discuss ways to strengthen economic cooperation in the fields of transport and telecommunications.

At the meeting, Minister Skuodis will invite the UAE to invest more in Lithuania and to participate in the implementation of the Klaipėda Seaport expansion and alternative energy projects. The meeting will also focus on air connectivity between the two countries and the promotion of transport innovation.

The UAE is a major international trade hub linking Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Trade between Lithuania and the UAE is growing each year and in 2023 amounted to just over EUR 216 million: exports accounted for EUR 136.5 million and imports – EUR 79.6 million.

Air connectivity with the UAE is one of priority directions for Lithuania. The UAE airline flydubai is expected to launch direct flights between Vilnius and Dubai next year. Since autumn last year, airBaltic has been covering this strategically important route.

Mr Skuodis has already had a working visit to the UAE in 2022 and in December last year during the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai. To promote bilateral cooperation and economic ties, the first meeting of the Lithuanian-UAE Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation and the Lithuanian-UAE Business Forum were held in Vilnius on Thursday.