UAE tops regional list for German export market

Dubai: The UAE is the biggest market for German exports in the region, a top German official said yesterday.

Walter Leuchs, the German Consul General in Dubai, told Gulf News that German exports to the UAE hit 4.3 billion euros in 2005, but non-oil imports from the UAE did not exceed 200 million euros.

"Crossing Saudi Arabia, Egypt and even India, the UAE is leading the list of importing countries in the region" said Leuchs.

The German council general would not comment on negotiations underway between UAE firms to buy shares in big German companies.

"We prefer to wait until the negotiations end. It is a private business so the privacy should be maintained," said Leuchs.

"We know about the DaimlerChrysler deal from the news agencies," he added.