MINSK, 7 June (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Managing Director of the Emirati company Emaar Properties, on 7 June, to discuss the Northern Waterfront project in Minsk and cooperation in the information technology sector, BelTA has learned.
“I am glad to meet with you again. You have long been a friend of Belarus. You come here often. We appreciate such an approach to work. You are always welcome in Belarus, especially since you come with specific proposals every time. Of course, today we will focus mostly on our main project - Northern Waterfront - that you intend to implement. This is a project of a huge scale. I think no other projects in Belarus have been as big as this one,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
Speaking about cooperation in information technology Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “You pay great attention to this sector. I know that the Emirates have made significant progress in this area. I am grateful to you for arranging the meeting with leading experts in artificial intelligence in the Emirates. Back then I realized that Belarus still had a lot of work to do to advance to the level that you achieved together with specialists from around the world.”
“In addition to these major projects, I remember our meetings and agreements, discussions of other projects that could be implemented here, in Belarus, by representatives of big business from the Emirates. If you are interested, we are ready to revisit these projects, including projects in agriculture, food (a very topical issue now) and many other projects that we once discussed,” the president added.
The Belarusian head of state met with Mohamed Ali Alabbar on 28 June 2021. Arab business people are implementing a large-scale project of a smart city in Minsk, which is called the Northern Waterfront. The following day after the meeting, the managing director of Emaar Properties and Minsk Mayor Vladimir Kukharev signed an investment agreement on the Northern Waterfront construction project.
The investment project will be running till 2040 and is estimated at €4 billion. The smart city will be built within the boundaries of the Minsk Ring Road, Pobeditelei Avenue, Orlovskaya Street and Tsnyanskoye Water Reservoir. The complex will include residential buildings with all the necessary engineering and transport infrastructure, social facilities and public facilities with a total area of more than six million square meters.
Mohamed Ali Alabbar is considered one of the biggest and most successful businessmen in the UAE. He is an advisor on economic and investment issues (personal and governmental) to the leaders of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This Arab businessman is in fact the mastermind and executor of the concept of modern Dubai. Mohamed Ali Alabbar is the co-owner of major international companies in e-commerce, catering, fashion and design.
