The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted Mr. Paul Malik, the newly appointed Consul General to the U.S. Consulate in Dubai , for a closed-door policy luncheon and discussion on Thursday afternoon. The luncheon provided private sector stakeholders with an opportunity to brief Mr. Malik on the current contours in the U.S.-U.A.E. commercial relationship. The event featured a brief introduction by U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council President, Danny Sebright, who congratulated Malik on his appointment.
Following Sebright’s introduction and discussion with industry, CG Malik briefly highlighted past areas of success during his most recent post as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in the Sultanate of Oman. He then went on to discuss what he hopes to achieve in Dubai, including an overview of the current state of the U.S.-U.A.E. trade relationship, as well as upcoming challenges he will face as the incoming CG, and the opportunities presented by Expo 2020.
U.S. Consul General to Dubai Paul Malik & President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Danny E. Sebright
Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Malik said, “I am looking forward to being in Dubai, and working with American and Emirati colleagues to expand trade between the United States and the U.A.E. During previous assignments in Oman, Greece, and Morocco, I worked closely with American companies and business councils to promote bilateral trade and foreign investment in the United States.”
Before closing his remarks, Mr. Malik provided further insight on regional developments in the Gulf and the broader Middle East and how that will affect commercial trade within the region and with the United States.
Following the remarks, Sebright opened the floor to a Q&A session, during which time stakeholders in the room were given the opportunity to engage CG Malik on the many challenges facing U.S. businesses in the Gulf, including the changing dynamics within the U.A.E. business community pending removal of Iranian sanctions.
For your information, Paul Malik’s biography can be found below.
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Paul Ramsey Malik
U.S. Consul General
Consulate General of the United States, Dubai
Paul R. Malik will take up his duties as U.S. Consul General in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on September 5, 2015. Mr. Malik was most recently Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in the Sultanate of Oman. Mr. Malik is a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, having served for 23 years in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.
Previously, Mr. Malik was the Director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Office at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, where he managed a budget of $35 million, leading the State Department’s efforts to build the capacity of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces. Prior to his posting in Beirut, he was the Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, from 2009-12, during that country’s economic collapse and the EU sovereign debt crisis. Mr. Malik also headed Turkish Affairs at the State Department’s Office of Southeastern Europe from 2006-08. Prior to working on Turkish Affairs, Mr. Malik was the Deputy Director of the State Department’s Office of Multilateral Trade Affairs, where he participated in the World Trade Organization Doha Round negotiations with the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Much of Mr. Malik’s diplomatic career has been in or associated with the Middle East and North Africa, having also served in Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia, as well as having worked on Egyptian Affairs in Washington. But, he also enjoyed a tour in Ireland.
Mr. Malik holds a B.A. from Swarthmore College, and pursued graduate studies at Georgetown University. He speaks, to varying degrees of fluency, Arabic, French, and Greek.
