Mohamed bin Zayed visits Germany

General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces on Thursday at his residence in Berlin met German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

During the meeting which was attended by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, the two sides discussed the outstanding relations of cooperation and friendship between UAE and Germany and ways of enhancing and bolstering them in the service of the interests of the two countries and their peoples.

The two sides also discussed UAE-German bilateral relations, in political, economic, investment and trade areas in particular, and the importance of expanding and developing them in order to fulfill the aspirations of the two countries for opening even wider avenues of cooperation.

The two sides touched upon areas of coordination and consultation on various matters of common concern. They stressed on the keen interest of the leaders of both countries on backing and bolstering their existing cooperation in order to fulfill the aspirations of the two countries and their peoples for even stronger and more outstanding and sustainable relations, especially in light of the fact that these relations are based on the solid foundations of mutual respect and common interest.

The two sides also touched upon the current regional and international developments and exchanged views on a number of matters of common interest.

Also present at Thursday's meeting were Ali Mohammed Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council of UAE, Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Court of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Juma Mubarak Al Jenaibi, UAE Ambassador to Germany, and Clemens von Goetze, Head of the Political Directorate-General 3 for Relations with Asia/Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East at Germany's Federal Foreign Ministry.

Meets Berlin Mayor

General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday at his residence in Berlin met with Klaus Wowereit, Governing Mayor of Berlin.

During the meeting which was attended by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, the two sides had exchanges on the U.A.E.-German relations of friendship and cooperation and ways of strengthening and promoting them in development, social and cultural areas.

In his remarks at the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed expressed his delight at visiting the ancient city of majestic arts, history, landmarks and diverse industrial innovations. He also noted the importance of benefiting from the available potentials and exchanged expertise for serving the development of Berlin and U.A.E. cities, as well as for finding favourable opportunities for setting up joint projects and programmes that benefit the two friendly countries and their peoples.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi said, "Continuing the exchange of visits between the two sides is important, serves the interests of both countries and creates new understandings and ideas for the development of bilateral relations and for proposing innovative projects."

In the guest book of the City of Berlin, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed wrote, "We are glad to be in Berlin, this ancient city which has become the symbol of the unity of Germany and the will of its people. We wish all progress and prosperity for them."

On his part, Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit expressed his gladness at Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed's visit and emphasised that it will contribute to the strengthening of the existing relations of cooperation, friendship and partnership between UAE and Germany.
 
Wowereit  also noted that the world-class progress and development of UAE cities bolster opportunities for cooperation and exchange of data, expertise and experiences that serve bilateral cooperation.

Also present at Thursday's meeting were Ali Mohammed Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council of U.A.E., Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Court of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Juma Mubarak Al Jenaibi, U.A.E. Ambassador to Germany, and Richard Meng, Spokesman for the Mayor of Berlin.

UAE-German relations are a model to follow

General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday hailed the relations between UAE and Germany as a model for bilateral relations that are founded on mutual understanding, respect and common interests. The Crown Prince also expressed UAEs' desire for further progress in relations with the European country.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed made his remarks in a statement on the occasion of his one-day visit to Germany during which he will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other senior German officials to discuss the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

In his statement on Thursday, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said:

"I am delighted to have visited Germany, the friendly country. I am honoured to convey to Chancellor Angela Merkel the greetings of the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the UAEpeople's best wishes for further progress, glory and prosperity for the people of Germany.

"Relations between UAE and Germany are model to follow as they have always been based on mutual understanding, respect and common interests since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries back in 1972. In 2012, we marked the 40th anniversary of these relations. In the past four decades of the rich relations between our two countries, we have always shared a common interest in, and a common will for continuous advancement of our relations in various spheres. Among the significant indicators to the reality of the outstanding UAE-German relations is the fact that I am here today after reaching an agreement recently to set up a joint UAE-German work team which is aimed at discussing the urgent issues within the framework of continuous consultation. We reached that agreement during the recent visit of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier's to UAE."

"The signing of the strategic partnership between U.A.E. and Germany in 2004 was the culmination of the unique and long-standing political, economic and cultural ties between the two countries, and also marked the start of a new chapter in our relations. That is because this agreement contributed to the advancement of our relations to wider avenues. This was reflected by the intensive exchange of visits at the highest levels in the past years.

“Despite the fact that UAE-German relations have made considerable progress, we look forward to further progress and development as both countries have many potentials for cooperation and partnership that serve the progress and prosperity of the peoples of our two friendly countries. What currently gives the relations between UAE and Germany their special importance is the fact that the two countries share convergent views on regional and international issues, which provides a solid foundation for coordination between them in order to contribute to the achievement of regional and international stability, security and peace.

“Germany is important, not only as a European country, but also as an international player which has important presence and influence on the issues of the Middle East of the Arabian Gulf region,” explained Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.

"We in UAE are keenly interested in continuous consultation and exchange of views with Germany, especially in the current times as the region and the world suffers a great deal of  instability and unrest," he said.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed also expressed hopes that his current visit to Germany will represent a qualitative addition to the historical and outstanding relations between U.A.E. and Germany. He also expressed his confidence that the coming period will see positive steps in the relationship between the two countries in light of the ties of understanding and mutual respect between their leaderships as well as in light of the huge potentials for furthering their bilateral cooperation in all spheres.

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