"The priority, of course, is with the task of continuously expanding trade, economic and investment links between our countries. We are assuming that the small reduction in trade volume recorded in 2015 and early 2016 in due to a negative global economic situation," Naryshkin said during a bilateral meeting with UAE Federal National Council President Amal Qubaisi.
The speaker noted that Qubaisi's visit to Russia indicates a commitment to inter-parliamentary dialogue between the Russian State Duma and the UAE Federal National Council, which acts as a representative body in the Gulf monarchy.
"We value the traditionally friendly relations with the UAE, which are one of our leading partners in the Gulf," he added.
Russia and the UAE have a long history of diplomatic relations. Russia-UAE relations stand out for their high level of political dialogue and intensive exchange of delegations.
Bilateral trade in goods and services grew for five years starting in 2009, reaching almost $5.5 billion by 2014, according to official Russian statistics. Trade between the two countries fell 20 percent in 2014. In the first nine months of 2015, bilateral trade decreased by almost half compared to the corresponding period in 2014.
