VIENNA, 25th July, 2017 (WAM) -- Hamad Ali Al Kaabi, UAE Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative at International Organisations, has visited several Austrian states and met with the governors of Upper Austria, Burgenland, Styria, Carinthia and Salzburg.
Ambassador Al Kaabi discussed the potential for mutual co-operation with the Austrian officials and was briefed about the major sectors and industries in each of their states. He began his tour with a visit to Upper Austria, where he met with Thomas Stelzer, Governor of Upper Austria. During the meeting, Al Kaabi discussed the current co-operation between Abu Dhabi and local Austrian companies in the petrochemical industry, as well as the Abu Dhabi Governments investments in major Austrian companies, notably in "Borealis". Al Kaabi also visited Burgenland to met with Hans Niessl, Governor of Burgenland, and discussed developing bilateral relations in industry, advanced scientific innovations, renewable energy and the promotion of intra-regional tourism. Ambassador Al Kaabi also visited the state of Styria and met with Hermann Schutzenhofer, Governor of Styria, who welcomed his visit. Al Kaabi highlighted the areas in common between the UAE and Styria in terms of their humanitarian actions. Schutzenhofer discussed his states hosting of the World Winter Games Special Olympics and the UAEs preparations to host the next Special Olympics 2019 World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi. He expressed full support to the UAE in organising the games and revealed his intentions to attend the 44th WorldSkills Competition in Abu Dhabi October 2017. Schutzenhofer also expressed his hope of developing UAE-Austrian relations, as well as his interest in Austrias participation in the EXPO 2020 Dubai. Ambassador Al Kaabi then met with Siegfried Nagel, Mayor of Graz, the capital of Styria, and was introduced to the citys ancient history, cultural heritage and its distinctive architectural style. During the meeting, Al Kaabi discussed ways of developing bilateral ties in the areas of culture, education, tourism, science, clean energy and industry, as Graz is known for its vehicle manufacturing industry, producing about 250,000 vehicles per year. Al Kaabi urged Nagel to encourage advanced manufacturing and technology industries in Austria to participate in the next Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit, after the success of its 2017 edition. During his series of visits, Al Kaabi also met with Peter Kaiser, Governor of Carinthia, and discussed the potential of the Austrian state, especially in scientific research and the development of modern technologies. At the end of his tour, Al Kaabi visited Salzburg and met with Wilfried Haslauer, Governor of Salzburg, where they discussed further co-operation in the tourism sector, as the state is considered the main destination for visitors from the UAE.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2017.
