Germany initiates talks to reopen foundation

Berlin:  Germany said yesterday it was trying to work with the UAE for the reopening of a think-tank in Abu Dhabi.

The Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which opened its office in Abu Dhabi in 2009, said it was asked to stop its work last week.

The foundation has close ties with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke said the UAE's ambassador to Berlin was invited for talks yesterday at the ministry to underline the "positive work of the foundation" and seek a "common solution" to reopen the Abu Dhabi office.

"It is our goal to find a way together with the United Arab Emirates for this to happen," Peschke told a regular government news conference.

Merkel's response

Merkel said on Thursday that Germany would "attempt to maintain close cooperation with the United Arab Emirates". "However, we of course wished that the Konrad Adenauer Foundation could continue its work there," she told reporters.