Premier Moe headed to the United Arab Emirates on trade trip
Moe taking 2nd international trip in 6 weeks
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is making a second international trip in six weeks, this time to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Moe will be in UAE from May 7 to 11, making stops in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
"As a major trading hub to the Middle East and North Africa for Saskatchewan exports, the UAE is a critically important trading partner for our province and we look forward to making this relationship stronger than ever," Moe said in a news release.
In 2021, the government announced it was expanding its international offices to UAE, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Vietnam. The government had previously established offices in China, Japan, Singapore, and India.
Saskatchewan opened its trade office in Dubai in January.
Moe travelled to the U.K. and Germany in late March. On the final day of that trip, he met with Ukrainian refugees staying in Kassel, Germany.
In April, MLA Terry Dennis, the legislative secretary for Canada-Ukraine relations, went to Germany shortly after Moe's trip. The government said Dennis went to Germany to help support the immigration and refugee efforts of Ukrainians fleeing their country.
Last month, Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison travelled to India, where he was joined by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In 2019, the Saskatchewan government entered into an annual $240,000 contract with Harper and Associates to expand the province's trade relationship in Asia.
SK Minister Jeremy Harrison and former Prime Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/stephenharper?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stephenharper</a>, joined by High Commissioner Cameron MacKay <a href="https://twitter.com/HCCanInd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HCCanInd</a>, met with India's Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PiyushGoyal</a> to discuss trade opportunities to enhance Saskatchewan-India relations. <a href="https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyalOffc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PiyushGoyalOffc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CanadainIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CanadainIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaskinIndia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaskinIndia</a> <a href="https://t.co/pPr7UrAPtU">pic.twitter.com/pPr7UrAPtU</a>
—@SKTradeInvestMoe is scheduled to speak at the Global Pulse Confederation while in Dubai.
The government said Moe's trip will "focus on Saskatchewan's world-class natural resource, agriculture, and agri-value sectors and reinforce the value of Saskatchewan's stable and reliable supply chain."
Saskatchewan has a significant trade relationship with the UAE.
The government said Saskatchewan's exports to the UAE were $636 million in 2021 and the province was the UAE's largest supplier of canola seed and lentils. It said Saskatchewan is Canada's largest agri-food exporter to the UAE.
Saskatchewan MLAs did not take any professional international trips in 2020.