Defence co-operation is among the areas covered by a series of agreements signed by the UAE and France as the two countries look to bolster ties amid geopolitical uncertainty triggered by the Iran war.
They signed an intergovernmental agreement for co-operation on the Dassault Rafale F5 standard within the French and Emirati Rafale programmes during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Abu Dhabi.
The agreements also cover technical and financial specifications for industrial co-operation between the two countries on the future of combat aviation, as France and the UAE strengthen defence ties.
Another agreement focuses on strategic autonomy in defence and reducing dependence on third countries as part of a strategic defence partnership between the two nations.
The latest agreements come as the UAE, the Arab world's second-largest economy, focuses on localising defence manufacturing through Edge Group, a defence conglomerate with more than 35 companies under its umbrella.
The group has played a key role in countering Iranian drones directed at the UAE during the war.
Mr Macron visited an Edge Group industrial site during his visit.
Edge, set up in 2019, specialises in developing advanced technology for weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
The group maintains several industrial partnerships with French companies and recently signed a co-operation agreement with the French Defence Procurement Agency.
Mr Macron's visit “reflects a shared commitment to strengthening industrial and technological co-operation and developing joint projects”, the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
The French Defence Ministry also signed an agreement with the UAE to enhance interoperability between the two armed forces, strengthen industrial resilience and advance co-operation in future-orientated technology, including artificial intelligence and space.
The latest agreements come as Abu Dhabi is preparing to host the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (Idex) in January, an event expected to attract hundreds of defence companies from across the globe to showcase their latest high-tech weapons.
Mr Macron then headed to Bahrain, where French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif Al Zayani, agreed to bolster co-operation on the “peaceful uses of nuclear energy”, the French government said.
France and Bahrain signed a defence co-operation agreement in February during a visit to Paris by Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa. The UAE and Bahrain were among the Gulf countries France helped protect with air defence and anti-drone assets during Iranian attacks this year.
France has also co-operated closely with Bahrain at the UN Security Council to find a diplomatic solution to Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Energy, AI and advanced technology
The UAE and France signed new deals in energy, AI and advanced technology as the two countries seek to strengthen investment and economic ties.
The preliminary agreements were signed in the presence of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Mr Macron in Abu Dhabi.
In AI and advanced technology, three agreements were signed with France's AI start-up AMI Labs to strengthen research and technological co-operation and explore new applications across several key sectors, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.
The deals involve Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), Abu Dhabi's G42 and computing company Analog.
MBZUAI will focus on strengthening co-operation with AMI Labs in AI research and development, while G42 aims to establish a framework for strategic co-operation in cloud computing infrastructure and AI models.
Analog's deal with AMI Labs focuses on exploring opportunities to integrate AI models into robotics and physical AI applications, creating new avenues for developing intelligent systems and expanding their use in industrial and technology sectors.
The UAE and France will also boost co-operation in the energy sector, with Adnoc Gas and Schneider Electric signing an initial pact to assess advanced technologies and identify opportunities to enhance operational efficiency and improve the performance of energy systems.
Adnoc Refining and Technip Energies also signed two contracts covering a refining capacity enhancement project and a sustainable aviation fuel project.
In his opening remarks at the UAE-France Business Dialogue at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled underscored the importance of bilateral co-operation in ensuring reliable energy supplies and building resilient supply chains amid changes in the global economy.
The UAE and France have strong economic ties, with more than 600 French businesses currently operating in the UAE and $4 billion worth of goods exported annually from France to the UAE, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
UAE investments are also growing in France. In 2021, UAE-based Gulf Islamic Investments made a $301 million investment in Altais Towers, while Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment Company signed an initial agreement with Bpifrance, committing to invest €1 billion ($1.12 billion) in the LAC1 Fund, a €10 billion fund managed by Bpifrance.
