Zayed taught me that there is strength in unity

The final preparations for Expo 2020 already reveal that the project team will celebrate their achievement before the set date. Organized work in the UAE has become a brand of distinguished UAE projects known for their commitment to time and quality. As we applaud the Dubai Expo Achievement Team for its exemplary execution, we would also like to send a message to Arab economies to take advantage of this global event that will change the economic landscape in the entire Middle East region and not just in Dubai. A well known fact is that since the middle of the last century, the Arab economy was dependent on the export of crude oil. It is also a fact that the Arab economy is rapidly moving towards the oil derivatives manufacturing sector to add great economic value to the new Middle East, “Europe East”. The question that we put forward in this article is: What are the most important economic events coming to the region in 2020 which must be on the economic apparatus in the Arab world to be of benefit to everyone?

In 2020, the region will host the World Expo in Dubai and the G20 Summit in Riyadh. In other words, policy makers in the global economy will be hosted by the future economic power. A rapid reading of the tour of HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the Saudi Crown Prince and the new Middle East architect, from Abu Dhabi to Bahrain and Egypt confirms his vision for an Arab economic alliance that includes all Arab countries and is comparable to the strength of the European economy. The Saudi Crown Prince spoke at the Davos Desert summit in Riyadh about the future of the region and its solidarity to form an Arab economic bloc in which the Gulf States, Egypt, Iraq, the Levant and the Maghreb may participate. In fact, Prince Mohammed bin Salman is implementing on the ground the vision of unity established by King Abdul Aziz, may God rest his soul, where he envisioned all Arab countries to unite in the service of their people and the permanent preservation of their interests and unity. It is also a fact  that Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, founded the UAE and instilled in us the belief and love of unity, from which we are reaping the fruit of being one of the best economies in the world and the destination of investment.

These constant realities about the strength of the Arab economy suggest that it is time to form an Arab economic bloc based on the export of Arab industrial products to the world. This optimistic outlook is inspired by the capabilities of the Arab world through harnessing the attractive economic climate created by Expo Dubai 2020 as the starting point for the setup of small and medium enterprises. Arab economic leaders can start preparatory meetings to form an economic summit constituting 20 Arab countries at the end of next year 2019 to benefit from the presence of  Expo 2020 in the heart of the Arab world. This Arab economic summit could also be the nucleus of economic agreements before the G20 summit in Riyadh. Egypt is capable of offering products characterized by quality and competitive prices such as cotton products, Iraq can provide high quality products in the field of oil industries and derivatives, Sudan is the food basket of the World , the Levant has huge human resources capabilities and potential, while the Maghreb is the nucleus of European economic activity. Zayed taught me that there is strength in unity.

Yasir Almahri

2018/12/04