Germany: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Tuesday arrived in Germany, commencing a two-day official visit.
During Shaikh Mohammad’s visit, which comes at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he will discuss bilateral relations with Frank-Walter Steinmeier President of Germany and Angela Merkel.
The two sides will also discuss ways of boosting cooperation in various fields and a number of issues of mutual concern as well as the latest regional and international developments.
Shaikh Mohammad will also meet senior German officials and a number of representatives of German companies.
UAE-Germany ties
The UAE-German relations are strategic spanning more than 15 years, covering various economic, political and security aspects. There are mutual interests and common goals between the two countries to promote security, stability and prosperity in the region.
The two countries look forward to strengthening their relations and elevating them to higher levels in political fields, economic cooperation, energy, humanitarian assistance, culture, education, environment and climate change.
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, told a news conference with his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, on Sunday the UAE and Germany have been united by a strategic partnership in the past 15 years. "The UAE is Germany's largest trading partner in the GCC region.
“Over 25 per cent of German trade with Arab countries is with the UAE," said Shaikh Abdullah.
The total trade volume between the two countries in 2018 reached $13.25 billion, with Germany exporting mostly aircraft, cars, machinery, electronics and chemical products to the UAE. German imports from the UAE are primarily aluminum and petrochemical products.
Home to Germans
The UAE is home to 14,000 German expats and over 500,000 German tourists visited the country last year. The UAE also hosts 300 German companies.
In 2017, the UAE-German Energy Partnership was established as a platform for dialogue in the field of renewable energies and energy efficiency.
Today, the UAE and Germany are both anchors of stability in their respective regions and are both multicultural, consensus-oriented and consultative societies.
Political cooperation
The UAE and Germany welcome the positive outcome of the appointment of the two envoys.
The two countries intend to increase their dialogue and political consultations periodically.
They will participate in international security forums such as the Munich Security Conference and the Sir Bani Yas Forum to be held from November 15-17 in Abu Dhabi. The two sides look forward to holding the fifth round of political consultations between the UAE and Germany.
