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Expo Centre Sharjah is set to facilitate better trade ties between the UAE and Colombia, the third largest Latin American economy.
A delegation from Colombia met officials of Expo Centre Sharjah and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Thursday (April 2) and also toured the ongoing 38th MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show.
The Colombian delegation was led by Mrs. Cecilia Porras Eraso, President of Arab-Colombian Chamber of Commerce and Chief Executive Officer of the Academic & Cultural Mission of the ICESI University of Colombia.
“Colombia is on a drive to diversify its economy and the delegation is on a mission to explore opportunities in the UAE and the rest of the Middle East region. They showed interest in several of our shows, especially OIC Halal Middle East, which could help them find new markets for their products and services,” said Mr. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO, Expo Centre Sharjah.
The MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show, which will run until April 4 at Expo Centre Sharjah, was particularly interesting to the team given that Colombia is the world’s top producer of high-grade emeralds, accounting for over 90 per cent of world output. It is also the second-largest South American producer of gold.
The visit and a series of meetings the delegation members had with several entities in the UAE are aimed at boosting Colombian exports to the UAE, which, as per available figures for the year 2013, stood at about US$10 million.
The delegation consisted of 31 members, including entrepreneurs from the fields of processed food, fruits, coffee, emeralds & maritime trade, investors, executives, business students and academics. The delegation’s 11-day tour of the UAE is an initiative by ICESI University in association with the Arab-Colombian Chamber of Commerce.
Since most of the members were from processed food, fruits and coffee industries, the team showed keen interest in OIC Halal Middle East Exhibition & Congress, which, they felt, could open up the entire Middle East and the OIC member states’ markets to them.
The visit also comes at a time when the UAE has ratified an agreement with Colombia on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports.
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