Jerusalem deputy mayor, senior UAE businessman discuss economic ties
"Business and economy are the best foundation to bring peoples of different nations together. Their interest becomes common, the safeguard of a long-lasting cooperation."
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum meets with UAE businessman Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor(photo credit: Courtesy)
Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum met with a prominent business executive from the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to discuss economic ties between the UAE and Israel.Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, founding chairman of Al Habtoor Group (AHG), a large conglomerate headquartered in the UAE in Dubai, met Hassan-Nahoum and Dorian Barak, an investor and entrepreneur who co-founded the UAE-Israel Business Council with Hassan-Nahoum. Habtoor welcomed the two at AHG’s head office in Dubai.“Business and economy are the best foundation to bring peoples of different nations together,” Habtoor said. “Their interest becomes common – the safeguard of a long-lasting cooperation.”“We realized the importance of economic ties, and that is why we founded the UAE-Israel Business Council even before the agreement was signed,” Hassan-Nahoum said.“We see tremendous opportunities for both nations and hope that with strong backers like Al Habtoor Group, we will see strong economic ties underpin a warm peace,” she said. “Mayor Moshe Lion and I will be delighted to welcome you to Jerusalem to explore opportunities together, especially given your achievements here in the UAE and your longstanding commitment to this agreement.”Habtoor said: “We share with the Israelis the same values of hard work and commitment to success and the same ambitions to build innovative and leading economies in the world. Between our business know-how and Israeli innovative technologies, the opportunities for cooperation are endless.”Hassan-Nahoum arrived in Dubai earlier this month to encourage investment in Jerusalem businesses.“I believe there is incredible potential for Jerusalem to be a significant platform for the warm peace we are building with the UAE,” she told The Jerusalem Post shortly before departing for Dubai. “Jerusalem is not only a hub of leading universities and technology, but we also share a common value of diversity with the UAE.”Hassan-Nahoum said she believed Arab residents of Jerusalem would benefit from great economic opportunities resulting from peace between Israel and the UAE.Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.
