Manama: German chancellor Angela Merkel will make a short visit to Bahrain on May 25, her first since she became her country's first woman chancellor, diplomatic sources have said.
Talks with Bahrain's leaders will focus on bilateral relations and the latest regional and international developments, the sources said.
Ties between the two countries have witnessed a surge since the visit by former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the first by a senior German leader to Manama, in 2005.
King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa met Merkel in October 2008 in Berlin where the two leaders reviewed issues related to developments in the Arabian Gulf and the Middle East as well as the global financial crisis and bilateral relations.
In March, Schroeder headed a 25-member high-level trade delegation to Bahrain for talks on commerce and investment ties, one month after Hubert Lang, Germany's ambassador to Bahrain, stressed his country's readiness to provide facilities for Bahrain's private sector.
Cooperation includes the construction of the first German university and a specialised German orthopaedic hospital. A project for recycling waste, glass, empty cans, electronic and electrical appliances and a solar energy project were also mulled by investors.
Last month, King Hamad received Norbert Lammert, the President of the German Bundestag (Parliament).
Diplomatic relations were launched in 1974 and Bahrain opened an embassy in the German capital in 1994.
