Abu Dhabi: The UAE and Germany on Monday signed a number of agreements on cooperation in the fields of education, electricity, culture, oil and gas as both agreed to further strengthen their relations.
General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the signing of these agreements.
Earlier to the agreement-signing ceremony, Shaikh Mohammad received Merkel at the Emirates Palace where they discussed bilateral relations and ways to boost cooperation, particularly in the political, economic, tourism and cultural fields. They also reviewed the developments on the Middle East peace process, topics of mutual interest, cooperation in educational fields and means of benefiting from the German expertise.
Shaikh Mohammed and Merkel also exchanged views on regional and international issues.
Shaikh Mohammad said the UAE, under the wise leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is keen to strengthen its bilateral relations with Germany and take them to wider horizons.
He praised the progressive ties and strategic partnership between the two countries.
Welcoming the German Chancellor, Shaikh Mohammed said that her visit to the UAE would certainly contribute to boosting the partnership between the UAE and Germany.
"Germany is one of the most advanced countries, especially in the professional domains. We can benefit from Germany's expertise in providing top quality education and vocational training, as well joint research for knowledge-based economy," he said.
Shaikh Mohammad added that using world-class expertise in the fields of developing clean and renewable energy technologies.
For her part, Merkel expressed Germany's keenness to support UAE research efforts in alternative and clean energy. She said that Germany was ready to work with the Emirati side on this vital and growing sector.
She pointed out that German businessmen consider UAE as a main gateway to tap the region's market and noted that over 800 German companies are based in the UAE.
