SOCIETY 378

SOCIETY
United Arab Emirates
and Austria – A “formal
plus” relationship
SOCIETY Magazine spoke with H.E. Ibrahim
S. M. Al Musharrakh about connecting East and
West, steps towards a greener future and the long
lasting friendship between the UAE and Austria.
In 1974, the UAE and Austria first established
their diplomatic relations.
What does the relationship between
the two countries look like?
The tie between the UAE and Austria
certainly goes beyond diplomatic relations;
it is a bond that emerged out
of the friendship between founding
father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin
Sultan Al Nahyan and Bruno Kreisky.
Mr. Kreisky visited the UAE about
eight times, Sheikh Zayed visited Austria
about four times. It goes without
saying that the two of them clicked
and enjoyed a cordial relationship
beyond the limits of the diplomatic
arena. Up until today, the connection
between Austria and the UAE remains
tight and extends to an industrial
and commercial level. For us, the
partnership with Austria is probably
one of the strongest ones out of all
European countries in the region. The
UAE is investing a lot in the oil and gas
sectors, which are vital for Austria as
well. The government of Abu Dhabi as
well as private businesses hold shares
of major Austrian companies like
OMV and Borealis. Having said this,
the focus of cooperation has been a
mostly economical one on both sides.
Because of this tendency, we don’t
see much exchange on a cultural level
yet. However, since starting my term
as an Ambassador, we have developed
lots of plans for the cultural agenda
as well. For instance, earlier this year,
the Arab-Austrian cultural season
took place and offered a wonderful
opportunity to exchange our rich cultural
and culinary heritages. Another
project planned revolves around a
collaboration between the Vienna
State Opera and the Dubai State
Opera; taking some first steps towards
its realization is one of my goals as an
Ambassador. There are many more
projects in the pipeline, but unfortunately,
the Covid-19 crisis has put all
that on hold. We are hoping that next
Up until today, the
connection between
Austria and the UAE
remains tight and extends
to an industrial
and commercial level.
year we can proceed to put all these
ideas into practice. In a nutshell, Austria
and the UAE have a “formal plus”
diplomatic relationship. I am passionate
about Austria and would love to
see the ties consolidate even more. If
there is any kind of help that we can
give as a diplomatic mission, I will not
hesitate at all to bring it forward.
Bringing back the topic of energy,
the UAE is heavily investing in solar
power and installed the world’s
largest single solar power plant. Is
there a certain agenda that determines
further steps towards a “greener”
future?
The UAE is indeed striving to diversify
its income resources by moving away
from fossil fuels like oil. According to
this agenda, in 2012 Prime Minister
Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum
launched the “Green Economy
Initiative”. The slogan of this initiative
is “a green economy for sustainable
development” and it is designed to
make the Emirates a global hub and
successful role-model for a new green
economy. The goal is to enhance the
country‘s competitiveness, while still
maintaining a sustainable environ-
Foto: SOCIETY/Probaschnig
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