ABU DHABI:
President Vladimir Putin visited Abu Dhabi yesterday, seeking to attract over
$1.3 billion worth of investments in Russia's economy. Putin, who came to the
United Arab Emirates a day after signing a key oil deal with Saudi Arabia in
Riyadh, was greeted by Abu Dhabi's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed
Al-Nahyan.

A dozen
agreements worth more than $1.3 billion, notably in the energy, advanced
technology and sectors, are expected to be sealed during the visit, according
to the Russian sovereign wealth fund.

As Putin made his
way to the presidential palace, jets painted the sky white, blue and red-the
colors of the Russian flag-and ceremonial cannon salutes were fired. The streets
of Abu Dhabi were lined with Emirati and Russian flags, while road signs
typically displaying warnings for motorists greeted Putin in Arabic and
Russian.

"The United
Arab Emirates welcomes the visit of the Russian president," read the
signs.  "Among the Gulf countries,
the UAE is the leader in terms of trade with Russia," Kremlin adviser Yuri
Ushakov told the press a few days ahead of the visit.

In 2018, trade
between the two countries had reached up to $1.7 billion. "Relations with
the Emirates are very advanced, and they are constantly improving,"
Russian Economy Minister Maxim Oreshkin told reporters in Riyadh on
Monday.  - AFP