Rashid Abdulla Al Qaseer, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Dubai Office, met with Sarah Mooney, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Consul-General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, on March 17, 2025. During the meeting at the ministry’s Dubai headquarters, Al Qaseer formally received her consular credentials. The session underscored the longstanding diplomatic relations between the UAE and the UK while Al Qaseer wished the new consul general every success in her assignment.
Al Qaseer welcomed Mooney and highlighted the deep ties that bind the two countries across multiple sectors. The ministry’s action followed standard diplomatic protocol for incoming consular officials assigned to the commercial hub of Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Such credential receptions ensure smooth continuity in consular services that support the large expatriate communities and business networks linking both nations.
The Emirates News Agency reported that the encounter reflected the UAE’s commitment to fostering robust international partnerships at all levels of representation. Mooney’s role encompasses oversight of consular affairs for UK nationals in Dubai and the northern emirates, where a significant British community resides. This appointment comes at a time when bilateral engagements continue to expand in areas ranging from trade to security cooperation.
UK trade data from the Office for National Statistics places the UAE as the UK’s 20th largest trading partner, with total trade in goods and services reaching £25 billion in 2025. UK exports to the UAE stood at £15.8 billion that year while imports from the UAE amounted to £9.3 billion, according to the same figures. The data show trade has roughly doubled since 2016, driven largely by services alongside key goods such as mechanical power generators, cars and refined oil.
A joint sovereign investment partnership launched in 2021 between the two countries has already drawn nearly £30 billion in commitments across more than 50 projects, according to a Zawya report drawing on official updates. The partnership has supported 48,000 jobs in the UK so far and is projected to sustain an additional 280,000 by 2030. More than 14,000 UK exporters maintain active business in the UAE market under this framework of deepening economic collaboration.
Recent high-level exchanges have further reinforced the relationship, including meetings between foreign ministers focused on artificial intelligence, energy transition and life sciences. The UAE attracted a record $45.6 billion in foreign direct investment last year, a nearly 50 percent increase that signals continued appeal to UK investors amid global volatility. These economic indicators illustrate the practical benefits sustained through consistent diplomatic channels like the consular appointment marked on March 17.
