Sarah Al Amiri meets Brazils Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation

DUBAI- The UAE and Brazil have concluded high-level bilateral talks to explore how both nations can share knowledge and expertise, promote space exploration, scientific research, and technology development.

Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, met with Marcos Cesar Pontes, Brazil’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation.

It took place at the 72nd International Astronautical Congress in Dubai, which is being held the Middle East for the first time in the event’s history.

During the discussions, Al Amiri commended the Brazilian government and its people for their latest achievements in the space sector. They include launching four satellites in the last two and a half years, including Amazonia 1, the first Earth observation satellite designed, tested and operated by Brazil.

They also spoke about the UAE’s mission to explore Venus and the Asteroid Belt between Jupiter and Mars, the lunar rover Rashid which will land on the Moon next year, and the Emirates Mars Mission – which has shared an unprecedented first batch of scientific data with hundreds of global institutions as part of the UAE’s efforts to share knowledge for the good of humankind.

Al Amiri said, "I was pleased to meet with Marcos Cesar Pontes at IAC today to build on the strong and mutually beneficial UAE-Brazil partnership. It provided an opportunity to reinforce our shared commitment to promote global cooperation, peaceful space exploration and sustainable economic growth for the good of humanity. Our discussions served as a platform to explore how our nations can work together to promote advanced technology, spatial research, and the development of cutting-edge space systems and applications."

Diplomatic relations between the UAE and Brazil have continued to go from strength to strength in recent years, with close cooperation across business, economies, culture, science, technology, education, innovation and space.

Earlier this year, Brazil announced hopes of doubling its trade relationship with the UAE to more than US$5.6bn in the next five years. This could lead to significant benefits for the growth and development of the respective space agencies in both countries, enhancing the flow of goods and services between knowledge and innovation-based industries in both countries.