The United Arab Emirates and Singapore have launched negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA, the two governments said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The talks were announced after UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in Abu Dhabi during Wong’s official visit, according to the statement carried by the state news agency WAM.
Both sides said the agreement is intended to expand market access and increase investment flows.
Non-oil trade between the two countries reached about $6.5 billion in 2025, up 25% from 2024, the statement said. It described the UAE as Singapore’s largest trading partner and investment destination in the Middle East and North Africa.
The two countries also concluded memorandums of understanding on energy cooperation, water cooperation and disease vector control.
They welcomed the creation of a Joint Energy Taskforce under the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum to explore cooperation across the energy value chain, including trading, infrastructure and downstream activities. The statement also noted ongoing nuclear energy cooperation involving the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company.
The leaders welcomed plans by Singapore state investor Temasek to open an office in Abu Dhabi. Temasek said in September that it planned to open offices in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh in the first half of 2027.
The statement said the UAE had made substantive progress toward joining the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, a digital trade pact that includes Singapore.
The two sides agreed to convene the fourth Singapore-UAE Joint Committee to review cooperation in areas including trade, energy, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity and space.
Wong began his Middle East trip in Qatar on October 18 and is due to visit Dubai before it ends on October 22.
