(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Sabina Mammadli read more In an exclusive interview with Azernews' Sabina Mammadli,
Managing Partner of AG MENA, a leading multi-services firm
headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Zain Dhareeja
spoke about the UAE Golden Visa, new opportunities for investors,
businesses in the UAE and business dynamics in Azerbaijan, as well
as objectives of his visit to Azerbaijan.
The discussion was held on the sidelines of the 'Invest in
Dubai' Business Luncheon held by Dubai Chamber's International
Office in Azerbaijan and the UAE embassy in Baku.
Q. Welcome to Baku. Please, tell our readers about you
and the entity you represent.
A. It's a pleasure to be here. My name is Zain Dhareeja, I am
the Managing Partner of AG MENA, a multi-services firm based in
Dubai. We offer legal services, corporate services, and citizenship
& residency solutions under a one-stop platform.
Q. Can you share what's the nature and objectives of
your visit?
A. The objectives of our visit are to open up opportunities to
the local Azerbaijani business community and individuals in
businesses here and provide them with a platform and accessibility
to various opportunities in the UAE. In particular, a key objective
from AG MENA is to provide an insight view into the United Arab
Emirates Golden Visas, which we recently announced and through
which individuals and their families can obtain a ten-year
residency in the UAE.
Q. Please, share your expectations about the“Invest in
Dubai' Business Luncheon.
A. We see this as a key platform, where we can help facilitate
trade and investment opportunities between Azerbaijan and the UAE.
We are very grateful to the Dubai International Chamber and the
International Office in Azerbaijan for providing a platform for
us.
Q. It's your first visit to Baku. What are your
impressions of the city?
A. Baku is very dynamic. I was familiar with the city in a way
because of the international events taking place here, such as
Formula 1. It is very commendable what the Azerbaijani government
is doing here in terms of public investments, investing in the
infrastructure, and local economy. So, I believe there are several
opportunities for UAE businesses and investors to come here and
vice versa.
Q. Dubai has successfully diversified away from oil
revenues into trade, logistics, tourism, real estate, and financial
services. How have international investors benefited from this
diversification?
A. The diversification has lifted a lot of restrictions on
business ownership, migration to the UAE, and foreign ownership of
a business in the country. This essentially means that now doing
business has become very accessible for foreign investors and
individuals and the UAE is a provider of a strategic hub between
the West and the East. Now, we see a lot of foreign businesses that
can easily access the regional market within the UAE and has access
to a larger customer basement in the region because of the
country's diversification from the oil economy to an economy based
on logistics, retail, etc.
Q. What are your observations about business dynamism in
Baku?
A. It seems that there is a very strong appetite from this side,
individuals and entrepreneurs here to do business in the UAE and,
as mentioned previously vice versa. We see that a lot of companies
from the UAE and the Middle East, in general, would see this region
as having huge potential. In particular, there is an increasing
amount of tourists coming from the UAE and I believe that number
will continue to rise.
Q. You are visiting Baku in partnership with Dubai
Chambers. How does Dubai International Chamber support
international business development for companies such as
yours?
A. Dubai Chambers plays a key role in promoting trade and
investment opportunities between different economies and particular
businesses such as ourselves. Dubai International Chamber, one of
the chambers operating under Dubai Chambers, plays a crucial role
in facilitating trade and leverages its global network and presence
to promote Dubai as a global business hub and support local
businesses as they expand beyond borders.
We wouldn't have been aware of opportunities in Azerbaijan if it
wasn't for Dubai International Chamber's office here. We look
forward to working with them long-term and hoping to drive further
the investment and trade opportunities between both countries.
Q. What would be your advice to Azerbaijani
businesspeople considering doing business in Dubai?
A. I will highly recommend that they commence business
operations and expand their business in the UAE, in particular, due
to the ease of doing business there. The Arab Emirates has achieved
a mark of 80.9 out of 100 for doing business. It is very
straightforward to set up a company there and obtain residency
which can all be done within two weeks. I don't think it gets
easier than this anywhere else. And of course, there is 100 percent
foreign ownership in the UAE. There is a very stable environment,
zero crime, and the quality of life is very high.
---
Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @sabinammdl
Follow us on Twitter @azernewsaz
Tags: dubai investments uae uae`s embassy in baku business interview azerbaijan-uae ag mena