UAE minister embarks on ‘virtual visit’ to Germany

A Cabinet minister paid a “virtual visit” to Berlin, speaking to senior German officials about ties and the nations’ responses to coronavirus.

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and UAE’s Special Envoy to Germany, spoke to politicians and officials by video link.

The meetings focused on ways to improve UAE-German co-operation, including the exchange of best practices from both countries’ responses to the outbreak.

Discussions also touched on matters including the global economy and the energy markets, technology and artificial intelligence, among other areas, state news agency Wam reported.

Dr Al Jaber held talks with Niels Annen, Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office, Dr Jan Hecker, Foreign Policy and Security Adviser to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Thomas Oppermann, Vice President of the German Bundestag, among others.

The spread of the coronavirus has led to travel restrictions, making business and diplomatic travel difficult and taking many relationships and deals online.

“We are committed to ensuring the continuity of the close co-operation we have with our German counterparts and to increasing our engagements in our collective fight against Covid-19,” Dr Al Jaber said.

“While global lockdown measures have imposed a number of temporary travel restrictions, we will continue to use this virtual format to maintain our close and high-level exchanges.”

Germany is the UAE’s largest European trading partner and accounts for almost 22 per cent of all trade between Berlin and the Arab world, figures from last year showed.

Non-oil trade between the UAE and Germany rose 60 per cent from 2010 to 2017, reaching $13.45 billion (Dh49.4bn) by the end of that period, government data showed.

Several of Germany’s biggest companies have a presence in the UAE, including conglomerate Siemens and chemicals company BASF.