Germany and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) maintain intensive diplomatic relations. The strategic partnership agreed in April 2004 is evidence of this. To further strengthen their ties, the two countries signed a joint declaration of intent on the occasion of the visit to Berlin of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in June 2019.

The UAE is Germany’s biggest trading partner in the region. After Turkey and on a par with Saudi Arabia, the UAE is Germany’s most important market in the Near and Middle East and North Africa. In 2020, the bilateral volume of trade was 7.51 billion euro. Germany’s main exports to the UAE are aircraft, cars, machinery, electrical goods and chemical products. Germany imports primarily aluminium and petrochemical products. The German Emirati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce, which was founded in 2009, supports bilateral trade.

Bilateral cultural cooperation is extensive. The Goethe-Institut has operated a regional office in Abu Dhabi since 2006 and a language training centre in Dubаi since 2007. There are officially recognised German schools abroad in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai. There are 20 cooperation projects between universities and academic institutions in the two countries.

Germany is the Guest of Honour at the 30th and 31st International Book Fair in Abu Dhabi in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Germany will be represented at Expo 2020 in Dubai (1 October 2021-31 March 2022) with a pavilion focused on “sustainability”. In addition, Land Baden-Württemberg will host its own pavilion at this Exhibition.