The Minister of International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Reem Al Hashimy, was received at the Congress Palace by authorities and members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group (PFG). The objective of the working meeting was to strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations through a parliamentary diplomacy agenda focused on increasing and diversifying bilateral trade, promoting productive investments, identifying regional projects for infrastructure financing, and seeking common positions in multilateral forums on issues of mutual interest such as gender and the environment.

The Argentine delegation was composed of national deputies Eduardo Valdes, president of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Anahí Costa, president of the GPA; Soher El Sukaria, vice president of the GPA; Agustina Propato; Carlos Fernández; and Silvana Ginocchio; along with the director general of Parliamentary Diplomacy, Ariel Sotelo. The minister arrived at Congress accompanied by Ambassador Saeed Saif Alqemzi.

During the meeting, the president of the GPA highlighted the volume of bilateral trade, which reached USD 1.814 billion in 2022, with a favorable balance for Argentina. However, she proposed to the Emirati minister that they work within the GPA, which includes representatives from various Argentine provinces, to exploit the full potential of bilateral trade so that more regional products and services reach the United Arab Emirates. In this regard, the members of the Group highlighted, for example, the capacity of Argentine food-producing companies across the country to supply high-value-added goods to a market of 10 million inhabitants that also functions as a regional logistics hub.

Likewise, both Minister Al Hashimy and the Argentine parliamentarians agreed on the need to work together to promote greater cooperation, both public and private, with the goal of increasing the level of Emirati investment in the country in strategic sectors such as energy, food, health, infrastructure, and tourism. In this regard, they highlighted the role of the UAE sovereign wealth fund, which already has a presence in Argentina in both infrastructure projects and the private sector.

Finally, they discussed the gender agenda, which occupies a priority position in the development of public policies in both countries. In this regard, the Emirati delegation highlighted the current gender parity in the Federal National Council, the highest legislative body, as well as the laws and amendments the country has promoted in recent years. In this regard, it is worth noting that, in September 2022, Minister Al Hashimy became the first UAE politician to deliver a speech representing her country before the UN General Assembly. In this context, both delegations agreed to include the exchange of experiences on gender issues in the future bilateral work agenda, as well as to coordinate positions of common interest in global forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union.