بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Good morning and welcome Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen.
If you all remember, not very long ago, at the beginning of last year (January 2012), I stood with you in the same location and announced that we were demolishing the iconic Metropolitan Hotel to build a new hotel complex in its place.
At that time, I declared my faith in Dubai’s economy and its resilience, and its ability to bounce back and fully recover from the global financial crisis, much faster than any other country’s economy.
Some of you may have doubted me then. This year our economy is expected to grow four percent, and if and when Dubai wins the Expo 2020 bid, it will be a major boost to GDP.
Today, I am here to renew my vote of confidence in Dubai and its economy and to celebrate our success. But it is not just a success for the Al Habtoor Group, but the success of my country. Each and every one of us plays a vital role in the UAE’s success.
I was able to build the Metropolitan Hotel in 1979 because of the vision and support of His Highness the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. And today I stand here to make this announcement due to the vision, leadership and support of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The encouragement of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, his hard work and leadership inspire me and give me the fuel to announce this project. The inauguration of the ‘Dubai Water Canal’ last Wednesday by His Highness is an additional boost of energy.
This project is unique not just in the region, but in the world.
This country was blessed with the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum and with our grandfathers and fathers who strived to build our nation and to protect our honour and dignity. The UAE continues to prosper because of our leader and citizens jointly working together.
Forty-two years since the foundation of the UAE is not a long period of time in any nation’s history or development, but for my country, the United Arab Emirates, the four and a half decades have been life changing.
Our success has shown, and the proof is in Dubai’s bid to host the Expo 2020. We in the Al Habtoor Group were among the first to support the bid and I have no doubt in my mind that we will win it. I have strong faith. We have the infrastructure, the security, we have the right attitude. No one deserves it more than we do. We have come so far, in such a short period of time. Imagine our capabilities for the future.
The credit is due to non-other than Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid. Dubai is his success, and I want to say, “thank you and I assure you that I believe in your vision, I trust your guidance and I will continue to support your plans for Dubai one 100 per cent.”
The announcement I made last year was, by every scale large, but now it is larger. In the heart of Dubai, the Pearl of the Gulf, we will reveal ‘Al Habtoor City’; the biggest residential and hospitality development in the world under construction. And let me tell you why.
The Al Habtoor City will incorporate more than 3,000 hotel and residential units on one plot - the plot where we are standing today. It will house three residential towers with more than 1,460 luxury apartments, the first permanent theatre production in Europe and the Middle East, eight tennis courts and a tennis academy and a club house and much, much, more...
Mohammed Al Habtoor, Vice Chairman and CEO, will give you all the details, but before he does, I want to say that our project will prove that Dubai is the only place in the world to invest.
Al Habtoor City is truly a breathtaking project. It will help boost the economy, provide thousands of jobs and will set a benchmark for future projects of its kind. Al Habtoor City will be an additional landmark for Dubai.
Al Habtoor City is a dream which became a reality due to the cooperation of different government departments.
For that, I would like to thank;
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His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).
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His Excellence Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General Dubai Municipality.
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His Excellency Abdalla Ahmed Al Habbai, CEO of the Engineer's Office.
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His Excellency Saeed Al Tayer Managing Director & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).
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His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).
We appreciate you and your team’s continuous cooperation and assistance in finishing this giant project. Together, working hand-in-hand, we are partners in the success of our country.
May God protect the UAE and its’ people.
اللهم احفظ الامارات وقادتها وأهلها والمقيمين فيها. اللهم ادم علينا نعمة الامن والامان. اللهم اكفنا شر الحاسدين وخلقك الضالين.
آمين يا رب العالمين.