UAE Consul General Abdulla Alsaboosi highlights breadth of UAE-US relationship in Utah visit
October 30, 2014
LOS ANGELES, CA (30 October 2014) – United Arab Emirates (UAE) Consul General Abdulla Alsaboosi traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to meet with local government officials and business leaders to highlight the robust economic relationship between the state and the UAE.
While in Salt Lake City, Consul General Alsaboosi met with Utah Governor Gary Herbert and exchanged perspectives on the UAE-Utah relationship and possible areas of future collaboration. The Consul General also met with representatives of the World Trade Center Utah, the Utah Office of Tourism and the Utah Film Commission to discuss business opportunities and economic growth in the UAE.
The visit to Utah also included a tour and briefing at the Boeing Company’s Salt Lake City facility. UAE airlines are major purchasers of Boeing commercial aircraft (in 2013, three UAE airlines – Etihad, Emirates, and flyDubai – announced purchases that totaled the largest commercial aircraft order in history: $120 billion), and these sales contribute to the robust UAE-US trade relationship. These aircraft sales support hundreds of jobs in Utah.
“Whether through trade, film programs or educational exchanges, there are growing ties between the UAE and Utah,” said Consul General Alsaboosi. “I look forward to collaborating with Governor Herbert and other state officials on ways to deepen the ties between my country and this great state.”
Trade between the UAE and Utah is growing, and in 2013, Utah exported $47 million in goods to the UAE including aircraft parts and forage. This relationship is representative of the larger UAE-US relationship: the UAE has remained the US’ largest trading partner in the Middle East and North Africa for the last five years. In 2013, overall trade between the UAE and US exceeded $26 billion.
The Consul General’s visit to Utah is part of the Consulate’s ongoing effort to raise awareness among Americans on the West Coast of the UAE’s role as a reliable partner in the region, and of the increasingly shared values between the UAE and the US. Consul General Alsaboosi plans to visit additional West Coast cities in the coming months.
