ABC & UOS Host Maryland Delegation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Goodnight Company Name: American Business Council of Dubai & the Northern Emirates Tel: 04.379.1414 Email: communications@abcdubai.com Website: www.abcdubai.com American Business Council & University of Sharjah Host Maryland Delegation Forum & Dinner DUBAI – APRIL 24, 2014 The American Business Council of Dubai & the Northern Emirates (ABC) in conjunction with the University of Sharjah hosted an evening forum and dinner at the Al Murooj Rotana Dubai in honor of a delegation from the State of Maryland currently visiting Dubai. The delegation included John McDonough, Maryland Secretary of State and Khalil Zaied, Baltimore City Deputy Chief of Operations.

The delegation is visiting the U.A.E. on a mission from Maryland to expand their economies in the region for Expo 2020. Industries represented in the delegation include investment, academic and research institutions, expansions services, construction equipment and parts, and telecommunications equipment.

Welcome remarks were given by The Honorable Robert Waller, U.S. Consul General in Dubai. The forum highlighted the many opportunities that Expo 2020 will bring and how American businesses will be able to capitalize on this momentum, while also strengthening the U.A.E.’s economy.

Ramsey Jurdi, President of the American Business Council and Chadbourne & Parke International Partner stated, “Expo 2020 will showcase Dubai and the U.A.E. in a way that will further solidify Dubai’s reputation as an infrastructure, financial, tourism, and logistics hub. The American business community is excited and primed to strengthen their investments in Dubai and help deliver this event to the world. The State of Maryland’s Delegation visit to the U.A.E. further motivates U.S. businesses to focus on this region and the opportunities that Expo 2020 will bring.”

Other key guests included: The Honorable Michael Corbin, U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E.; Nasir Abbasi, Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate General for Dubai; Dr. Hamdi Saleh, former Egyptian Ambassador and current Director of the International Relations Program in the University of Sharjah College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Ahmed Al Banna, former Labour Ministry Assistant Under-Secretary; Anne Jafery, Managing Partner at June; and Tariq Nizami, founder and CEO of the CEO Club U.A.E. ABOUT THE AMERICAN BUSINESS COUNCIL The American Business Council of Dubai & the Northern Emirates operates under the auspices of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry and functions as a Chapter of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Since its founding in 1985, the American Business Council has supported U.S. business interests in Dubai & the Northern Emirates and acts as a liaison between government and commercial enterprises.

The American Business Council is a 500 plus member-driven organization. Fortune 500 companies and key business leaders are well represented among the members of the American Business Council. The American Business Council provides a forum for understanding and interaction between the local business community and members of the American Business Council. Members are supported through a robust calendar of informational programs, round-table discussions, and business networking opportunities.

For more information about the American Business Council and to learn how members are engaged, visit us at www.abcdubai.com.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN BUSINESS COUNCIL The University of Sharjah aspires to be among the leading universities in the Arab World and in its region, renowned and recognized around the globe for offering comprehensive academic and professional programs of the highest quality, for its distinctive style of learning that engages and prepares students for leadership roles in the society, and for being a major international center of study and research in the quest to improve human life.

The University of Sharjah is committed to providing its students with an education and learning experience of the highest quality; offering a comprehensive platform of academic and professional programs; promoting the personal, social, academic, and career growth of all students; adding to human

knowledge; contributing to the cultural, social and economic progress of society; preserving fostering and promoting the Arab and Islamic culture, heritage and history; and contributing to the advancement of learning and to the development of human resources in the Emirate of the Sharjah and the U.A.E. http://www.sharjah.ac.ae ###