ABU DHABI – Bilateral relations between Denmark and the UAE are strengthening with increased trade deals and cooperation on climate action, Danish Ambassador to the UAE Anders Bjorn Hansen told Emirates News Agency (WAM).
“We have strong commercial relationships and they have developed very well over the past few years,” he said in an interview in the capital.
According to the UAE Ministry of Economy, bilateral trade between the UAE and Denmark in the first nine months of 2023 amounted to US$620 million (Dh2.27 billion), compared with US$484 million (Dh1.78 billion) in the same period. It is said that the trade value exceeded the corresponding amount (Dirham). In 2022, it will record an increase of 28.1 percent.
Cooperation on climate change
The Ambassador said that the close cooperation between the two countries at the United Nations Climate Conference COP28 held in Dubai in December further strengthened bilateral cooperation in combating climate change.
He noted that Denmark’s presence at COP28 included a notable pavilion and the largest business delegation in history, representing more than 30 companies.
The Prime Minister of Denmark, several other ministers, and His Majesty King Frederick X of Denmark, who was Crown Prince at the time, also actively attended COP28.
“I think it’s a very strong indication of how the relationship is growing.”
Hansen said that in 2019, the Danish Embassy in Abu Dhabi was the first in the Middle East among 15 embassies around the world to be selected for the Danish Carbon Diplomacy Initiative.
Now expanded to 29 ‘climate front embassies’ in the Middle East, including Rabat and Cairo, these embassies are helping Denmark reach its ambitious goal of reducing carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2030. We are working on international cooperation and partnerships to achieve this goal.
He explained that the embassy in Abu Dhabi has implemented various systematic initiatives to operate in a more sustainable manner and reduce its carbon footprint.
“My official car is electric and my office car is a hybrid.” The envoy and his staff are taking every possible measure to conserve water and electricity.
Danish community of 3,000 people
The number of Danes living in the UAE has increased to 3,000 from 2,500 at the beginning of 2020, the ambassador revealed.
Most of them live in Dubai and work mainly in the private sector, but some also work in the public sector.
Direct flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Denmark have promoted people-to-people connections, cultural exchange and tourism, Hansen noted.
Exploring sports opportunities, Mr. Hansen pointed out that the UAE has active sports arenas, especially during the winter season, which provides favorable conditions for a variety of sports activities.
Mr. Hansen has been serving as the Danish ambassador to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the UAE, and Qatar since September 1, 2022.
In addition to holding various positions in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he also worked at the Danish embassies in Iran and Israel. Ambassador Hansen also served as Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs in the Danish Prime Minister’s Office (2006-2009).
Queen Margrethe II awarded him a knighthood of the Order of Dannebrogg.