French Space Agency to have representative office in UAE

, 7th October, 2018 (WAM) - While announcing the setting up of French space agency, CNES' representative office in Abu Dhabi, Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of the agency, said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as one of the major actors in the space scene.

CNES, which is considered as the oldest space agencies in the world, will now become the first such agency to have its representative office in Abu Dhabi. The agency will be represented by Donato Giorgi, WAM reported.

In an interview to WAM, Jean-Yves Le Gall also said that France would like to take forward the collaboration with UAE in the space sector. "The UAE space programme in a few years has made the country one of the major actors in the space scene, in the UAE, you will find a lot of dynamism, vision and interesting space, this is why we decided to enter in to a very special partnership through opening of a representative office of CNES in Abu Dhabi. We have lot of links with the UAE, and I am sure, we are going to develop them more in the coming years," Jean-Yves, who is also co-chair of the Council of the European Space Agency, ESA, and President of the International Astronautical Federation, IAF, told WAM.

CNES is the agency responsible for proposing and implementing space policy in France. "It is important for us to present here in Abu Dhabi because many important things are happening, and the opening of a representative office in the UAE, is the result of the long strategic partnership with the UAE Space Agency, and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, MBRSC," Jean-Yves further said.

Jean-Yves also stressed that investment in the space sector has multilateral benefits including the creation of satellite applications, improvement of telecommunications' services and technology. "In fact, investment in space helps build the young generation in the space field, and develop the future prospects," he added.

During French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the UAE in November 2017, Abu Dhabi and Paris signed an agreement to develop a joint hyperspectral imaging satellite to tackle climate change. Jean-Yves further said France will build on this cooperation with the UAE through training and student exchange programme. "We have a very strong partnership with the UAE and space is one the element of this robust partnership," he underscored.