Difference between revisions of "UAE-Lebanon Business Forum"
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| + | {{short description|'''Beirut business forum of 26–27 August 2026 led by the UAE foreign trade minister, which launched the UAE-Lebanon Joint Business Council'''}} | ||
{{Infobox organization | {{Infobox organization | ||
| name = UAE-Lebanon Business Forum | | name = UAE-Lebanon Business Forum | ||
| − | | | + | | logo = |
| + | | founded = {{Start date|2026|08|26}} | ||
| type = Bilateral business forum | | type = Bilateral business forum | ||
| location = Seaside Arena, Beirut | | location = Seaside Arena, Beirut | ||
| key_people = [[Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi]]; [[Mohamed Choucair]] | | key_people = [[Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi]]; [[Mohamed Choucair]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
| − | The '''UAE-Lebanon Business Forum''' was held at the Seaside Arena in Beirut on 26 and 27 August 2026. [[Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi]], UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, led a delegation reported as 80-strong and, by the Lebanese organiser, as 87 companies. [[Tarek Mitri]], deputy prime minister, attended for [[Nawaf Salam]]. On the second day Al Zeyoudi met President [[Joseph Aoun]]. The forum produced four agreements, one of them the [[UAE-Lebanon Joint Business Council]], which then held its first meeting in Beirut. [[Mohamed Choucair]], who organised the Lebanese side, said the visitors had not talked politics, had met four ministers and the speaker as well as the president, and that about 50 Emirati companies had sat with 153 Lebanese ones.<ref name="WAM">[https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/279269141/uae-lebanon-business-forum-drives-new-wave-of-private-sector-partnerships-as-joint-business-council-holds-inaugural-meeting-in-beirut UAE-Lebanon Business Forum drives new wave of private-sector partnerships] | + | The '''UAE-Lebanon Business Forum''' was held at the Seaside Arena in Beirut on 26 and 27 August 2026. [[Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi]], UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, led a delegation reported as 80-strong and, by the Lebanese organiser, as 87 companies. [[Tarek Mitri]], deputy prime minister, attended for [[Nawaf Salam]]. On the second day Al Zeyoudi met President [[Joseph Aoun]]. The forum produced four agreements, one of them the [[UAE-Lebanon Joint Business Council]], which then held its first meeting in Beirut. [[Mohamed Choucair]], who organised the Lebanese side, said the visitors had not talked politics, had met four ministers and the speaker as well as the president, and that about 50 Emirati companies had sat with 153 Lebanese ones.<ref name="WAM">Emirates News Agency, [https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/279269141/uae-lebanon-business-forum-drives-new-wave-of-private-sector-partnerships-as-joint-business-council-holds-inaugural-meeting-in-beirut UAE-Lebanon Business Forum drives new wave of private-sector partnerships] ''WAM'' (via Big News Network), 27 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026 (UAE state media).</ref><ref name="Shoucair">Akhbar Al Yawm, [https://www.akhbaralyawm.com/news/571656/ شقير: الوفد الإماراتي لم يتطرّق إلى السياسة أبداً (Choucair: the Emirati delegation never touched on politics)] ''Akhbar Al Yawm'', 29 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026 (in Arabic).</ref> |
== Lebanese ministers who spoke == | == Lebanese ministers who spoke == | ||
| Line 14: | Line 16: | ||
== The UAE side == | == The UAE side == | ||
| − | Al Zeyoudi led. With him, as named: [[Abdallah Sultan Al Owais]], vice chairman of the Federation of UAE Chambers and chairman of the Sharjah chamber. [[Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei]], undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. [[Hamad Buamim]], described at the forum as president of the business council on the UAE side. [[Waleed AbdelRahman BuKhatir]], second vice chairman of the Sharjah chamber. [[Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al Awadi]], its director general. [[Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi]], assistant director general. [[Nasser Al Nowais]], chairman of Rotana. [[Abdullah Massaad]], chief executive of RAK Ceramics. [[Issa Al Ghurair]], chairman of Issa Al Ghurair Investment. [[Ismail Al Mazmi]], chief commercial officer of Daleel Technology. Elite Agro Holding signed two of the four memoranda.<ref name="WAM"/><ref name="National">[https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/27/new-wave-of-uae-lebanon-business-ties-after-ministers-visit-to-beirut New wave of UAE-Lebanon business ties] | + | Al Zeyoudi led. With him, as named: [[Abdallah Sultan Al Owais]], vice chairman of the Federation of UAE Chambers and chairman of the Sharjah chamber. [[Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei]], undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. [[Hamad Buamim]], described at the forum as president of the business council on the UAE side. [[Waleed AbdelRahman BuKhatir]], second vice chairman of the Sharjah chamber. [[Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al Awadi]], its director general. [[Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi]], assistant director general. [[Nasser Al Nowais]], chairman of Rotana. [[Abdullah Massaad]], chief executive of RAK Ceramics. [[Issa Al Ghurair]], chairman of Issa Al Ghurair Investment. [[Ismail Al Mazmi]], chief commercial officer of Daleel Technology. Elite Agro Holding signed two of the four memoranda.<ref name="WAM"/><ref name="National">''The National'', [https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/27/new-wave-of-uae-lebanon-business-ties-after-ministers-visit-to-beirut New wave of UAE-Lebanon business ties] ''The National'', 27 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref> |
== The Lebanese side == | == The Lebanese side == | ||
| − | [[Waseem Daher]], described as president of the council on the Lebanese side. [[Wissam Al Ariss]], president of the Union of Lebanese-Gulf Business Councils. [[ | + | [[Waseem Daher]], described as president of the council on the Lebanese side. [[Wissam Al Ariss]], president of the Union of Lebanese-Gulf Business Councils. [[Mohamed Choucair]] (also spelled Shukair), president of the economic bodies and of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon chamber. [[Mohammed Ali Qabbani]], chairman of the Council for Development and Reconstruction. [[Maroun Al-Helou]], president of the contractors’ syndicate. [[Majed Mouneimne]], chairman of the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon. [[Jack Sarraf]], president of Global Lebanese Investors.<ref name="WAM"/> |
== The two panels == | == The two panels == | ||
| − | Infrastructure and reconstruction: Qabbani, Al-Helou, Al Nowais, Massaad. From opportunities to partnerships: Mouneimne, Sarraf, Al Ghurair, Al Mazmi. The sectors named by visitors to ''The National'' were logistics, agriculture, energy, aviation and tourism. Health and artificial intelligence were also represented. | + | Infrastructure and reconstruction: Qabbani, Al-Helou, Al Nowais, Massaad. From opportunities to partnerships: Mouneimne, Sarraf, Al Ghurair, Al Mazmi. The sectors named by visitors to ''The National'' were logistics, agriculture, energy, aviation and tourism. Health and artificial intelligence were also represented. Mohamed Yusuf Adam, vice president of the UAE investment group National Pulse, told ''The National'': "I think that if everyone waits until the [economic and security] crisis is over, it will take time."<ref name="WAM"/><ref name="TN2">''The National'', [https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/26/uae-businesses-eye-first-mover-advantage-in-lebanon-as-relations-thaw UAE businesses seek first-mover advantage in Lebanon] ''The National'', 26 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref> |
== The four agreements == | == The four agreements == | ||
| − | The council agreement, signed by Al Owais and Choucair. A link between the Abu Dhabi and Beirut chambers. Two memoranda by Elite Agro Holding, one with the American University of Beirut on farming research, one with Georges Daccache & Sons on greenhouses. Daher said the council’s first meeting, held during the forum, was the practical frame for turning the talks into projects.<ref name="National"/><ref name="Daher">[https://www.akhbaralyawm.com/news/571527/ رئيس مجلس الأعمال اللبناني الإماراتي] | + | The council agreement, signed by Al Owais and Choucair. A link between the Abu Dhabi and Beirut chambers. Two memoranda by Elite Agro Holding, one with the American University of Beirut on farming research, one with Georges Daccache & Sons on greenhouses. Daher said the council’s first meeting, held during the forum, was the practical frame for turning the talks into projects.<ref name="National"/><ref name="Daher">Akhbar Al Yawm, [https://www.akhbaralyawm.com/news/571527/ رئيس مجلس الأعمال اللبناني الإماراتي (Head of the Lebanese-Emirati Business Council)] ''Akhbar Al Yawm'', 28 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026 (in Arabic).</ref> |
| + | |||
| + | == Context == | ||
| + | The forum took place while "Israel" occupied a security zone in southern Lebanon. ''Arab News'' later reported approaches to southern landowners from Emirati or Cypriot companies, none of them named or linked to the forum.<ref name="AN">Najia Houssari, [https://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/who-will-protect-occupied-southern-lebanon-from-controversial-land-sales-3003913 Who will protect occupied southern Lebanon from controversial land sales?] ''Arab News'', 30 September 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.</ref> See [[Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon (2024–present)]] and [[Lebanese draft law banning property sales in occupied areas (2026)]]. | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
| Line 40: | Line 45: | ||
[[Category:United Arab Emirates]] | [[Category:United Arab Emirates]] | ||
[[Category:Lebanon]] | [[Category:Lebanon]] | ||
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Companies]] |
Latest revision as of 09:57, 22 October 2026
Beirut business forum of 26–27 August 2026 led by the UAE foreign trade minister, which launched the UAE-Lebanon Joint Business Council
| UAE-Lebanon Business Forum
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Bilateral business forum |
| Founded | 26 August 2026 |
| Location | Seaside Arena, Beirut |
| Key people | Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi; Mohamed Choucair |
The UAE-Lebanon Business Forum was held at the Seaside Arena in Beirut on 26 and 27 August 2026. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, led a delegation reported as 80-strong and, by the Lebanese organiser, as 87 companies. Tarek Mitri, deputy prime minister, attended for Nawaf Salam. On the second day Al Zeyoudi met President Joseph Aoun. The forum produced four agreements, one of them the UAE-Lebanon Joint Business Council, which then held its first meeting in Beirut. Mohamed Choucair, who organised the Lebanese side, said the visitors had not talked politics, had met four ministers and the speaker as well as the president, and that about 50 Emirati companies had sat with 153 Lebanese ones.[1][2]
Lebanese ministers who spoke
Amer Al-Bassat, economy and trade. Fayez Rassami, public works and transport. Joe Issa Al-Khoury, industry. Nizar Hani, agriculture. Kamal Shehadeh, technology and artificial intelligence. Mitri stood in for the prime minister.[1]
The UAE side
Al Zeyoudi led. With him, as named: Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, vice chairman of the Federation of UAE Chambers and chairman of the Sharjah chamber. Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei, undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. Hamad Buamim, described at the forum as president of the business council on the UAE side. Waleed AbdelRahman BuKhatir, second vice chairman of the Sharjah chamber. Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, its director general. Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, assistant director general. Nasser Al Nowais, chairman of Rotana. Abdullah Massaad, chief executive of RAK Ceramics. Issa Al Ghurair, chairman of Issa Al Ghurair Investment. Ismail Al Mazmi, chief commercial officer of Daleel Technology. Elite Agro Holding signed two of the four memoranda.[1][3]
The Lebanese side
Waseem Daher, described as president of the council on the Lebanese side. Wissam Al Ariss, president of the Union of Lebanese-Gulf Business Councils. Mohamed Choucair (also spelled Shukair), president of the economic bodies and of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon chamber. Mohammed Ali Qabbani, chairman of the Council for Development and Reconstruction. Maroun Al-Helou, president of the contractors’ syndicate. Majed Mouneimne, chairman of the Investment Development Authority of Lebanon. Jack Sarraf, president of Global Lebanese Investors.[1]
The two panels
Infrastructure and reconstruction: Qabbani, Al-Helou, Al Nowais, Massaad. From opportunities to partnerships: Mouneimne, Sarraf, Al Ghurair, Al Mazmi. The sectors named by visitors to The National were logistics, agriculture, energy, aviation and tourism. Health and artificial intelligence were also represented. Mohamed Yusuf Adam, vice president of the UAE investment group National Pulse, told The National: "I think that if everyone waits until the [economic and security] crisis is over, it will take time."[1][4]
The four agreements
The council agreement, signed by Al Owais and Choucair. A link between the Abu Dhabi and Beirut chambers. Two memoranda by Elite Agro Holding, one with the American University of Beirut on farming research, one with Georges Daccache & Sons on greenhouses. Daher said the council’s first meeting, held during the forum, was the practical frame for turning the talks into projects.[3][5]
Context
The forum took place while "Israel" occupied a security zone in southern Lebanon. Arab News later reported approaches to southern landowners from Emirati or Cypriot companies, none of them named or linked to the forum.[6] See Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon (2024–present) and Lebanese draft law banning property sales in occupied areas (2026).
See also
- UAE-Lebanon Joint Business Council
- Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi
- Mohamed Choucair
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Emirates News Agency, UAE-Lebanon Business Forum drives new wave of private-sector partnerships WAM (via Big News Network), 27 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026 (UAE state media).
- ↑ Akhbar Al Yawm, شقير: الوفد الإماراتي لم يتطرّق إلى السياسة أبداً (Choucair: the Emirati delegation never touched on politics) Akhbar Al Yawm, 29 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026 (in Arabic).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The National, New wave of UAE-Lebanon business ties The National, 27 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ The National, UAE businesses seek first-mover advantage in Lebanon The National, 26 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ Akhbar Al Yawm, رئيس مجلس الأعمال اللبناني الإماراتي (Head of the Lebanese-Emirati Business Council) Akhbar Al Yawm, 28 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026 (in Arabic).
- ↑ Najia Houssari, Who will protect occupied southern Lebanon from controversial land sales? Arab News, 30 September 2026, accessed 22 October 2026.