An official reception ceremony was held for His Highness at the Presidential Palace. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the President of Ecuador discussed enhancing bilateral cooperation in conjunction with the announcement of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries.

Quito – Ecuador, March 2 / WAM / His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, arrived at the Carondelet Presidential Palace in the capital, Quito. An official reception ceremony was held for His Highness, during which the national anthem of both the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Ecuador was played. Then His Highness and His Excellency Daniel Noboa, President of the Republic of Ecuador, reviewed a group of honor guards who were lined up to greet them in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace.

At the beginning of the meeting, His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan conveyed the greetings of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, “may God protect him,” to His Excellency Daniel Noboa, and his wishes for him good health and wellness, and for the Republic of Ecuador and its friendly people more prosperity and development.

For his part, His Excellency Daniel Noboa welcomed the visit of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Ecuador, wishing His Highness that this visit would contribute to strengthening friendly relations and cooperation between the Republic of Ecuador and the United Arab Emirates. His Excellency the President also conveyed his greetings to His Highness the President, “may God protect him,” wishing the UAE and its people further progress and prosperity.

During the meeting, they discussed the prospects for strengthening the development partnership between the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Ecuador, and reviewed opportunities to expand the scope of cooperation in sectors of common priority, especially in the areas of food security, sustainable agriculture, clean and renewable energy, and advanced technology, in addition to supporting mutual investments, in a way that serves the common interests of the two countries and supports their directions towards strengthening the economic diversification system.

During the meeting, the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the UAE and Ecuador was also announced. In addition to announcing a cooperation agreement between the UAE Ministry of Investment and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade and Investment, which aims to discuss investment cooperation opportunities in vital sectors of common interest. As well as a memorandum of understanding between the Emirati “Edge” Group and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Defense to enhance cooperation in the field of security infrastructure within the framework of a joint program to develop reconnaissance and border protection capabilities worth 250 million US dollars.

A memorandum of understanding was announced between the Emirates Accounting Authority and the Council for Citizenship Participation and Social Oversight in Ecuador, aiming to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of combating corruption and governance of integrity practices and principles of transparency within the government work system.

As part of efforts to support partnership between the government and private sectors in both the UAE and the Republic of Ecuador, a number of development projects and cooperation agreements are currently being discussed, with a total investment worth exceeding $3 billion, in a step that reflects the depth of joint cooperation and opens new horizons for economic partnership between the two countries in various priority areas.

The UAE is an important trading partner of the Republic of Ecuador in the Arab region and the African continent, as the volume of non-oil trade between the two countries in 2025 reached about 373.6 million US dollars, recording remarkable growth compared to previous years.

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries aims to reduce customs duties and remove barriers to intra-trade movement by enhancing bilateral cooperation and building strategic partnerships between the government and private sectors by focusing on vital and priority sectors on the development agenda such as clean energy, advanced technology, mining, logistics, agriculture, and other areas of common interest.

The Republic of Ecuador represents the fourth country in Latin America to sign the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Arab Emirates, after Chile (November 2025), Costa Rica (April 2025), and Colombia (April 2024).

This agreement comes within the framework of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to expand its network of trade partnerships in the region, with negotiations currently underway with Peru to conclude similar agreements, which reflects the UAE’s commitment to enhancing sustainable economic cooperation and trade diversification with South American countries.

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