UAE, Germany to boost ties

An increase in bilateral investment was among the key agreements made during the seventh session of the UAE-German Joint Commission on Economic, Trade, and Technical Co-operation in Berlin.

Delegates also agreed to strengthen the enforcement of intellectual property rights and an amendment to the bilateral agreement to prevent double taxation.

The session concluded on Tuesday. The UAE delegation was led by Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, while Dr Bernd Pfaffenbach, state secretary of Germany's Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, headed the German side. The two officials signed the meeting agenda of the joint commission at the conclusion of discussions.

They also agreed to prepare MoUs on health; to co-operate in the fields of irrigation, organic and fish farming and other basic agricultural techniques; and to expedite the transfer of technology and expertise in areas such as water management and sanitation.

During the session, the UAE delegation presented a report on the country's annual growth target and discussed the increase in German investments coming to the country. It also requested for technical assistance in the areas of inspection and industrial standards as well as advice on telecommunications regulations, specifically in the field of satellite broadcasting.

Al Mansouri praised the huge growth in non-oil trade volume between the two countries, emphasising the UAE's commitment to maintaining strong relations with Germany. He encouraged both countries to explore further avenues of co-operation for their mutual benefit, referring to the large number of bilateral co-operation agreements that have been signed between the two countries in recent years.

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