DUBAI, July 3, 2021 (WAM) – Mariam Almheiri, UAE Minister of State for Food and Water Security, concluded a four-day trip to Germany, where she discussed potential areas of collaboration with government officials local and state. The official visit ended on the fourth day with the inauguration by Almheiri of the German-Emirati Institute of Aachen with the mission of fostering closer collaboration on the development of emerging and advanced technologies and use to develop joint projects of the fourth industrial revolution. The Institute will centralize, rationalize, manage and execute current and future projects.

From June 29 to July 2, 2021, Almheiri led a delegation from the United Arab Emirates on a visit that covered three cities – Munich, Düsseldorf and Aachen. The latter would become the headquarters of the new German-Emirati institute, inaugurated on the last day of the tour.

Hafsa Abdullah Mohammed Al Ulama, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Germany, accompanied Almheiri on the trip. The delegation also included two officials from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office: Monira Hisham Al Kuttab, Executive Director of Promotions and Business Advisory, Salvatore Stephen Lavallo, Head of Foreign Direct Investments, and Marwan Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman of Sharjah Investment and Development. Authority (Shurooq), Mohamed Juma Al Musharrk, CEO of Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah) and Maitha Al Saleh, economic specialist at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

“The United Arab Emirates and Germany have strong economic and cultural ties that go back a long way,” Almheiri said. “Germany is one of the United Arab Emirates’ largest European trading partners, and the United Arab Emirates are among Germany’s most active trading partners in the region. In addition, German companies have been instrumental in the development of key industrial sectors in the UAE, particularly energy. Republic of Germany have experienced constant and exponential growth covering various strategic sectors. “

“This solid foundation is an advantage we look forward to building on to create additional partnership opportunities that will further boost the sustainable development of our two countries,” she added. “The UAE has set ambitious goals for the future and we are committed to working closely with partners around the world to achieve these plans and offer our support and expertise. These meetings that we are organizing in three major German cities reiterate this commitment and provide a platform to explore opportunities that can benefit both of our economies in the future. “

The first stop of the visit took place in Munich, capital of the state of Bavaria, in southern Germany, where the delegation participated in an economic roundtable with the Bavarian Ministry of Economy, Regional Development and Energy, Vice-Minister Roland Weigert opening the meeting. She then attended a roundtable with the press, before joining the heads of the UAE trade delegation in bilateral meetings with Michaela Kaniber, Bavarian Minister of State for Food, Agriculture and Forestry , and Melanie Huml, Bavarian Minister of State for European and International Affairs. The first day ended with a meeting between representatives of BayWa AG and representatives of the Bavarian government.

Roland Weigert, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, met the delegates again on the second day in Munich during a bilateral meeting at his ministry headquarters. The day then continued with a SAP Senior meeting. The delegation then continued with a visit to the high-tech company Terra Plasma where it was received by its CEO Dr Julia Zimmermann and Jens Kirsch (CEO Terraplasma Medical). The stay in Munich ended with a bilateral meeting with Ilse Aigner, President of the Bayerischer Landtag (Bavarian Parliament).

The second stop was in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and its capital, Düsseldorf, where Mariam Almheiri met with Armin Laschet, Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia and Andreas Scheuer, Federal Minister of Transport. The meeting highlighted the close ties between the UAE and Germany, as well as the two countries’ desire to expand cooperation in many areas in the future.

During a visit to Düsseldorf, the delegation of the United Arab Emirates also met André Kuper, president of the Landtag Nordrhein-Westfalen (Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia). As part of the visit, the delegation also attended part of the Landtag session, which was followed by a bilateral meeting with Hendrik Wust, Minister of Transport of the Federal State of NRW. The delegation then joined a business lunch, organized by NRW Global Business, attended by representatives of C-level companies. The same afternoon there was a meeting with Andreas Pinkwart, Minister of the Economy, the ‘Innovation, digitization and energy from NRW. The stay in Düsseldorf ended with a high-ranking business roundtable, again organized by NRW Global Business.