DUBAI - Dubai and Belgrade, Serbia’s capital city, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen cooperation.

The MoU was signed by Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary-General of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Aleksandar Šapić, Mayor of Belgrade.

Signing the agreement in Belgrade, Al Basti said Dubai seeks to establish strong networks of cooperation with cities around the world in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council. Through such partnerships, Dubai seeks to share the experiences and knowledge it has gained in its economic growth journey and its development as a leading global business and investment destination, he added.

The MoU outlines a framework for deepening cooperation between both sides in key sectors, including tourism, culture and heritage, smart cities, healthcare and sports. The MoU will also boost ties in the fields of digital economy, AI applications, software and automation. As a fast-growing global hub for emerging technologies, Dubai seeks to tap complementarities with Belgrade, an important centre for AI startups, especially in the field of food security. Serbia participated in Expo 2020 Dubai within the Mobility pavilion, showcasing its world-class advanced technology capabilities.

Under the agreement, experts and organisations from both sides will come together to design development plans for the two cities and develop mechanisms for boosting cooperation and knowledge exchange, encouraging economic cooperation, investments and information exchange to enhance the health, tourism and service sectors.

The MoU is the latest in a series of strategic agreements between Dubai and cities around the world, through which the emirate shares its world-leading expertise in service excellence, leadership, quality of life, opportunity creation, future-oriented technologies and the development of worldwide partnerships.