UAE-Canada relationship is stronger than ever

UAE-Canada relationship is stronger than ever Amanda Fisher (amanda@khaleejtimes.com) / 8 July 2013 In the next in a series of fortnightly interviews with ambassadors to the UAE, 
Amanda Fisher speaks with Canadian Ambassador Arif Lalani about the “new 
Middle East”, enhanced military ties and his burgeoning passion for falconry The Uganda-born Canadian Ambassador to the UAE has had many official stints in countries in the Middle East — often more dangerous than his current patch. In 2006-07, he served as Canada’s ambassador to Iraq, before moving on to Afghanistan, where he remained ambassador till 2008 (“we were the third largest provider of development assistance at the time”). He has served as the ambassador to Jordan, and worked in Turkey and the US. Lalani moved to Canada in 1971, at the tender age of 5, before picking up a degree in International Relations from the University of British Columbia and a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics some years later. The ambassador, who doubles as Canada’s first Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, has been in the country little under a year, arriving in October last year — “As Emiratis like to say — I haven’t spent a summer here yet.” He lives with his “partner in (his) work here”, New Zealand-born Canadian wife Katie, who, in addition to a private sector career, works as a volunteer for INJAZ-UAE, an organisation of corporate mentors who inspire young people to reach their full potential through various skills programmes. The couple are also involved with the Terry Fox runs around the country, which commemorate the efforts of the Canadian athlete and cancer victim to raise the profile of cancer, and have raised more than $5 million for cancer research in the UAE. Lalani, who sits on the Operating Board of Directors of Canadian think tank Centre for International Governance and Innovation (CIGI) (incidentally chaired by the founder of BlackBerry — “a great Canadian game changing invention”) as well as the board of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, says he has enjoyed every minute of his time in the UAE. Fortunately, the official likes to drive, and says he has been using that vehicle to try to explore all the emirates, which he is still discovering. “I love being in the desert, though I spend a lot of time on the highway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai!” Lalani has also discovered a passion for falconry, and enjoys watching the predatory birds train, race and hunt. He says he is also learning about Emirati poetry, while he has been exploring the local arts scene, including Abu Dhabi Art, Art Dubai and Design Days Dubai. “I would like to have more Canadian artists in the UAE.” The UAE is a model of what I call enlightened accelerated development. Through its visionary leaders, it has achieved one of the highest standards of living, anywhere in the world, in just one generation. It is a source of stability, and economic growth throughout the region and globally. It represents for me the “new Middle East” — with a much needed sense of aspiration to be the best in the world. In this respect, Canada supports its efforts to continue to improve on good governance, innovation, education and health. I believe the UAE’s major challenge is the diversification of its economy; and concern for stability in an increasingly volatile neighbourhood. I also think achieving the Emiratisation goals is a key objective for the UAE. Canadian institutions and Canadians can be partners in this exercise also, in terms of training and capacity building. To help Emiratis and Canadians understand how important we are to each other — that’s priority one.  I believe that the UAE and Canada are strategic partners for the future and I want to help build that foundation. That’s why we announced a shared Strategic Agenda in April where our governments agreed to cooperate on prosperity, security, and development. Our relationship is stronger than it has ever been. The UAE is Canada’s largest export market in the Middle East, trade is up this year, and over 40,000 Canadians live and work here, with 150 Canadian companies doing business here; the UAE is amongst the top 10 investors in Canada.  Our foreign ministers have visited each other four times in less than a year, and our Trade Minister will visit soon also.  We are so pleased the visa regime has been restored by the UAE government, and we have been part of the nation-building story of the UAE. The Higher Colleges of Technology model was based on a Canadian educational system and the design and construction of landmarks like the first Abu Dhabi Airport and the original Maqta Bridge were built by Canadian firms. And of course the Canadian mint produces the UAE’s dirham coins. In modern times – the iconic Emirates Towers were designed by Canadian architects, the fountains at Burj Khalifa are Canadian, and don’t get me started on Tim Hortons! Is it fair to say the Canadian and UAE governments have had a rapprochement of sorts after the visit by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird in April? As I said, the relationship is stronger than ever and the foreign ministers are friends. My minister sees UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan as a trusted partner. We understand the strategic potential of the relationship. Canada and the UAE are focusing their efforts on implementing the shared strategic agenda announced in April to cooperate on creating economic prosperity for both countries, strengthening security, and advancing development in third world countries. It is a fairly easy and simple process for Emiratis to obtain a visa to Canada. We offer a multiple entry visa valid for up to ten years, with a processing time of 5 days, and do not generally request an interview. Emiratis and UAE residents can now also apply through a Canadian visa application centre (VAC), which has longer working hours.  Are the UAE and Canadian governments discussing landing rights in Canada for Emirates and Etihad planes, and in the UAE for Air Canada planes? As permitted under our air services agreement, discussions take place periodically between Canadian and UAE civil aviation officials which allow for the review of new market developments. Air Canada and Etihad Airways recently announced a code sharing agreement, which will enhance business and leisure travel between the two countries. We work very closely with Emiratis on a number of security and military issues here and abroad. For example, the UAE was an important ally for Canada in Nato operations in Libya.  I was pleased to see the visit of the Canadian navy ship HMCS Toronto to ports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the last few months. We continue to enhance our cooperation. Taylor Scott International