The governments of France and the UAE have entered into ten agreements to identify opportunities for collaboration in sectors such as renewable and nuclear energy, space exploration, and defense.

“In the currently uncertain energy context, this agreement will pave the way for a stable long-term framework for cooperation, opening the way for new industrial contracts,” the French government said in a statement.

The UAE has emerged as a key partner for Western countries as they look to replace imports from sanctions-hit Russia.

The deal coincided with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s visit to Paris earlier this week, his first overseas state visit since taking over the mantle of leadership. 

“The UAE is keen to support energy security in the world in general and France in particular,” Sheikh Mohammed told France President Emmanuel Macron, according to Emirati state news agency WAM.

The agreements and MoUs signed and exchanged by the two countries encompass fields as wide-ranging as space, higher education, tech, and climate change. MoUs were signed between the Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change and the French Government in the field of climate action, and between the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) on cooperation in lunar exploration.

The two countries also announced the launch of the UAE-France Business Council, signed in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed and Macron, on the sidelines of an official banquet held at the Palace of Versailles, which aims to enhance and leverage the economic ties between the two in the sectors of energy, transport, and investment.

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