MOSCOW, October 23 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Gen. Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Thursday, discussing bilateral ties and the situation in the Middle East.
Gen. Mohammed Nahyan, who is the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, noted that Russia "plays a major role in the Middle East". Putin said in his turn that Russia is concerned by the developments in Iraq and Libya and stressed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a serious issue.
The Russian President noted that investment cooperation continues to develop between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia. The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince called the bilateral ties between the two relations "privileged".
On October 10, Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov said that Russia was expecting to open a trade mission in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi by the end of 2015, noting that the mission would increase the number of Russian investment projects in the UAE.
In recent years, UAE-Russia relations have strengthened, especially in the field of economics. In September, the Russian president claimed that prospects were good for investment cooperation between the two countries.
At the end of 2013 trade turnover between Russia and the UAE exceeded $2.5 billion, while the volume of mutual investment reached $18 billion.
