DUNDEE SIGNS 'SISTER CITY' AGREEMENT WITH DUBAI

7th April 2004

Dundee signed a “Sister City” agreement with the Gulf state of Dubai yesterday. This aims to promote economic links between the city and the second largest member of the United Arab Emirates. The signing ceremony for the Sister city agreement yesterday involved the Lord Provost, John Letford, the Al-Maktoum Institute Principal Professor Abd al-Fattah El-Awaisi and the Director-General of the Municipality of Dubai Mr Quassim Sultan al Banna.



Mr Mirza Al-Sayegh, Chairman of the Al-Maktoum Institute’s board and private secretary to Dubai’s Deputy Ruler Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, said “The growing reputation of the Al-Maktoum Institute is helping to build better relationships between Dubai and the rest of Scotland”. The Al-Maktoum Institute’s delegation will return with the first passengers on the new Dubai to Glasgow flight at the weekend. The launch of the direct flight by Emirates, the world’s fifth most profitable airline, is expected to yield economic benefits for the whole of Scotland. Dundee’s Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies played a key role in setting up the negotiations for the new flight. The Institute has organised further delegations to set up trade and education links, which it is hoped will profit Dundee’s economy.



The painting illustrates both Dubai and Dundee's links with the sea. It shows the famous RRS Discovery and an Arab Dhow sailing towards each other with the logo of the Al-Maktoum Institute outlined in the water between them. In the background is the skyline of both cities showing Dundee landmarks, the Tay Bridge, the Law Hill and Discovery Point alongside those from Dubai including the Burj al-Arab Hotel, a traditional house and the Dubai Tower. The painting shows that the two cities are closely linked regardless of distance and culture.