Washington, D.C. — The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a lunch and roundtable discussion featuring Mr. Nasir Abbasi, the newly-appointed Principal Commercial Officer for the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Business executives and government officials from both the U.S. and the U.A.E. attended the event to welcome Mr. Abbasi to his post.

Danny Sebright, president of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, introduced Mr. Abbasi to the U.S.-U.A.E. business community in attendance and expressed the business community’s eagerness to work with the U.S. Consulate in Dubai and the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi to further strengthen commercial ties between the U.S. and U.A.E. and advocate for increased U.S. business presence in the Emirates.

In his comments, Mr. Abbasi emphasized the Foreign Commercial Service’s focus on and the particular role he and his colleagues will play in helping American companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), establish and expand their footprint in the U.A.E. by aggressively pursuing contracts surrounding infrastructure development ahead of World Expo 2020 in Dubai.

Principal Commercial Officer for the U.S. Consulate in Dubai Nasir Abbasi addresses
American and Emirati business executives and government officials in attendance

“Projects like Al Maktoum International Airport and the broader ‘aerotropolis’ under development at Dubai World Central are exactly the kind of contracts that American companies need to be chasing,” said Abbasi. “In my new capacity, I intend to focus on linking American business with the opportunities taking shape on the ground in Dubai.”

Following his remarks, Mr. Abbasi took questions and comments and expressed his commitment to working with U.S. businesses established in Dubai to advance U.S. commercial interests and provide a support network for companies looking to break into the U.A.E. market.

Mr. Abbasi has served extensively overseas as a Foreign Commercial Service Officer and is an international business and trade expert in industry sectors such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, telecommunications, automotive, and franchise. He assumed his post earlier this year.