BERLIN // Abdul Aziz al Ghurair, the Speaker of the Federal National Council, urged German politicians and opinion leaders yesterday to consider forging a strategic partnership with the UAE.
Mr al Ghurair arrived in the German capital on Monday night and met yesterday with his German counterpart, Dr Norbert Lammert, the president of the German parliament, and a number of government officials, businessmen and academics.
"My message is how can we form a strategic partnership between Germany and the UAE," Mr al Ghurair said in a 14-minute speech to an international conference on security in the Gulf region, organised by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, a research foundation associated with Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union party.
"We are getting a lot of good messages from Germany, the vibe from the politicians was good. But we really need to put certain mechanisms [in place] if we are really serious," he said.
He said the relationship between the two nations should touch all levels, but stressed the personal.
"I want the German visitor to the UAE to feel he is in his second home and the UAE citizen who comes here in the summer, I want him to feel this is his second home," he said.
Mr al Ghurair said the countries had a converging interest in creating a strategic partnership.
"We are the best partner for Germany. We have a very open system, our legal support, we have a democracy in place, our economy is the second largest in the Arab world," he said.
Germany had "great influence in the EU [European Union] and internationally, and we want to take advantage of this influence".
"If the UAE has an issue, Germany will become a spokesman for the UAE. Also, if Germany has a problem, we will become the ambassador for the German issues there," he said.
Mr al Ghurair said it was vital for Germany and the rest of the EU that the Gulf region remained stable because it was home to 65 per cent of the world's known oil reserves.
"To ensure that the relationship [between the Gulf and EU] can really continue and prosper, we need to make sure that there is peace and prosperity in the region," he said. "Without peace and prosperity in the region, the supply of energy can be interrupted."
Issues such as the future of Iraq, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Iran's nuclear programme must be properly handled to ensure stability in the region, he said.
"We know the vague nuclear energy programme of Iran; where is it going to go? And what is the impact on the stability of the region if this programme goes to the wrong side? That can completely destabilise the region," Mr al Ghurair said.
During meetings with German officials, Mr al Ghurair said that existing co-operation should be enhanced by the creation of a task force that would follow up on issues of common interests.
The trade volume between the two countries in 2007 was ?5.2 billion (Dh29bn), but the UAE's share of sales accounted for only ?400,000, according to Mohammed Ahmed al Mahmood, the UAE's ambassador to Berlin. The imbalance is a source of concern in the UAE.
Michael Mertes, the member of the European Parliament for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, said he would co-ordinate with Mr Mahmood to look at furthering areas of co-operation.
For instance, Mr Mertes said that Germany would "co-operate very closely" with the UAE in the field of renewable energy, "which is something we're very strong at".
Germany was the UAE's strongest competitor to host the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) before Abu Dhabi won the bid in June.
Mr al Ghurair is due to conclude his visit today.
mhabboush@thenational.ae
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000