The UAE supports open trade as an engine for sustainable development

The Minister of Foreign Trade, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, affirmed the UAE’s firm commitment to continuing to support open, rules-based trade, as an essential driver for the long-term sustainable development of countries around the world. This came during Al-Zeyoudi’s participation, heading the UAE delegation, in the G20 trade and investment ministers’ meeting held in the city of Gkibirha, South Africa. The UAE is considered a reliable partner for the largest economies around the world, especially the G20 countries, as its non-oil foreign trade with the G20 countries exceeded $231.6 billion in the first half of 2025, a growth of 19.2% compared to the same period in 2024, and an increase of 3% compared to the second half of the same year, which confirms the continuation of the upward path of Emirati-European trade flows that had begun years ago.

During the meeting, he reviewed the UAE’s continued efforts to call for finding cooperative solutions to the challenges currently facing global trade, including the need to strengthen and modernize supply chains, improve access to the global trading system and ensure its fairness.

The G20 Trade and Investment Ministers’ Meeting is the main dialogue platform in which member states discuss issues related to trade and investment, which will form the basis of discussions during the G20 Leaders’ Summit next November.