Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to meet President Macron amid global energy crisis
July 14, 2022, 9:26 am

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to meet President Macron amid global energy crisis

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan speaks during the 10th edition of the World Future Energy Summit on January 16, 2017 in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi. (File photo)

French President Emmanuel Macron will host the ruler of the United Arab Emirates in Paris next week, according to several people familiar with the matter. The meeting comes as European countries seek alternatives to Russian energy amid the war in Ukraine.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed will be in France’s capital on July 18, according to one of the people. The French presidency declined to comment.

France has been talking to the UAE about greater supplies of oil and diesel since the European Union vowed to cut its dependence on Russia, its largest source of energy imports. The EU has imposed six packages of sanctions on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.

Supply from the UAE could at least be a temporary alternative to Russian oil and diesel, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told local media in June.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to journalists as he arrives at the train station in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 16, 2022. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

Last month, Macron was caught on camera telling US President Joe Biden at the G7 summit that the UAE president informed him Abu Dhabi is at “maximum oil production.”

The UAE’s Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei clarified that Sheikh Mohamed was referring to quota limits agreed with fellow OPEC members, but uncertainty persists.

Scholz spokesperson: German Chancellor discussed energy with UAE president

The trip to Paris is set to come days after Biden travels to Saudi Arabia for the first time as president, partly to see if Arabian Gulf oil producers will increase output and help bring down crude prices, which have soared 35 percent this year to more than $100 a barrel.

That’s led to higher inflation and contributed to a cost-of-living crisis in many countries.

The UAE sits on about six percent of proven reserves of crude oil and has some of the world’s largest wealth funds. It’s a leading member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Biden to focus on more than discussing energy in his visit to Saudi Arabia

Macron and Sheikh Mohamed will also discuss potential UAE investments into France and security ties between the two countries, which are close allies. The UAE bought 80 Rafale fighter jets from France as part of a 17 billion-euro deal signed during Macron’s visit to Dubai in December.

Source: alarabiyaenglish

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
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For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”