David Burt, the Premier, wants to strengthen ties between Bermuda and the United Arab Emirates, he told an investment conference in the Gulf state yesterday.

Mr Burt was delivering a keynote speech during the second day of Investopia 2023 in Abu Dhabi, which he attended at the invitation of Abdullah Bin Touq Al Marri, the Minister of Economy for UAE.

He said: "It was an honour to be invited to Investopia 2023 and to share Bermuda's story with leaders in the region as well as to highlight the many similarities between our countries.

“The conference has been beneficial in raising the profile of investment opportunities in Bermuda from this region, whether it is insurance, renewable energy, hospitality or infrastructure.

“I look forward to deepening the relationships between the UAE and Bermuda.”

During the conference Mr Burt met Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, the chair of Abu Dhabi Global Markets;, Thani Al Zeyoudi, the Minister of State for Foreign Trade; and Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the managing director and CEO of Mubadala, a state-owned holding company.

A government spokeswoman said he was joined on the trip by Barclay Simmons, the chairman of the Bermuda Public Funds Investment committee.

“On the second day of the two-day conference, the Premier delivered a keynote speech entitled ‘Bermuda – The Jewel of the Atlantic’, where he spoke of his desire to strengthen ties between Bermuda and the UAE while highlighting the similarities between the two jurisdictions,” the spokeswoman added.

Other panellists at the conference included Jeremy Allaire, the chief executive officer of cryptocurrency company Circle, and Anthony Scaramucci, an investor who gained public notoriety as a short-lived spokesman for President Donald Trump.

Mr Burt is scheduled to leave Abu Dhabi today to return to Bermuda on Sunday.