The Department of Government Relations (DGR) Sharjah, has recently hosted a high-level Irish delegation in Sharjah, to support Ireland's growing bilateral trade and investment relationship with the emirate and the UAE, especially in the aviation sector which contributes greatly in economies and stimulate other sectors including tourism, which is considered a gateway to other cultures and civilizations, and tourism.

The delegation was received by Sheikh Majed Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah’s Department of Government Relations (DGR), and a group of senior local officials, including Sheikh Faisal bin Saud Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Airport Authority; Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah Al Thani, Director of Department of Civil Aviation; HE Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); Abdulrahman bin Taliah, Director of Executive Affairs at Air Arabia.

The delegation visited the Sharjah Airport Authority (SAA), and met Sheikh Faisal bin Saud Al Qasimi, and learnt more about Sharjah’s aviation history, its continuous growth and expansion since its inception in the 1930s, and the brand new developments, which have opened new avenues for foreign investors and businesses to explore. The delegation was taken on a comprehensive tour of SAA, where they learnt about the full range of services offered to MSMEs as well as multinationals.

The Irish delegation was represented by senior officials from various public as well as private sector entities, including, HE Pat Breen TD, Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection; Stephen Creaner Executive Director, Enterprise Ireland; Mike Hogan Regional Manager, Middle East & North Africa; Conor Fahv, Regional Director, Middle East & North Africa, Enterprise, Ireland; Ayman Sikafi Commercial Attaché', Embassy of Ireland; Alan O Mahony Market Advisor, Enterprise Ireland; Thomas Murray Principal Officer at Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation; and Ahmad Younis secretary General & CEO of the Arab Irish Chamber of Commerce.

The Irish aviation companies that visited Sharjah were Daa international, Aero Inspection, Shannon International Aviation Services Center, AeroAid, Botany Weaving, Fathom, Dublin Aerospace, Transpoco, Safetrx, Miagen and Acetech.

“Sharjah and Ireland have shared economic interests across a range of sectors, and this visit was organised to showcase the immense yet largely untapped potential our vibrantly diversified economy holds for our Irish counterparts,” said Sheikh Majed Al Qasimi.

“The Department of Government Relations continues its work to translate Sharjah’s vision to offer partnership opportunities to local and international bodies as well as a platform for  the exchange of knowledge and expertise to serve the interests of the emirate in an environment based on creativity and innovation, stimulating a knowledge-based economy to push the socioeconomic sustainable development agenda,” he further added.

Sheikh Faisal bin Saud Al Qasimi, Director of SAA stressed that the authority is keen on advancing economic partnerships and the Irish aviation sector to realise the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to strengthen the emirate’s relations with all their partners. He pointed out the Irish delegation’s visit presents a unique opportunity to bolster existing  collaborations and introduce Irish investors to investment opportunities in the UAE, Sharjah in particular.

“We encourage Irish investors to lay the foundations of their  businesses  and expand existing projects in Sharjah,” He said, pointing out that Irish companies operating in the emirate play a valuable role in Sharjah’s economy.

On the side-lines of the visit, presentations highlighting promising investment opportunities were delivered by HE Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO of the Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah); Nahyan Al Falasi, Manager Government Relations & Licensing from the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park); and Omar Tourmish, Business Development Manager at the Sharjah Airport Authority.

During the presentation made by the SAA representative, the Irish delegation learnt that airport handled 12 million passengers last year and offers flights to 85 destinations worldwide. With an average 5 percent year-on-year growth for the past five years, Sharjah Airport also topped ‘On Time Performance’ rankings in Aug 2019. SAA is currently working on a master expansion plan, which once complete will ill increase airport capacity to over 20 million passengers by 2025.