10 Jul 2010
The treaty was signed here today for the Government of UAE by Foreign Minister H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and for the Government of Germany by Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle.
In a joint press conference held after the signing ceremony, Sheikh Abdullah congratulated Christian Wulff on his election as new President of Germany.
Sheikh Abdullah stressed the importance of UAE-German relations and their mutual cooperation in many fields. He said that he exchanged views with his German counterpart on the latest regional and international developments, including the Middle East peace process, the situation in Afghanistan and Yemen, and the implications of the recent Security Council's resolution in relation with the Iranian nuclear dossier.
Sheikh Abdullah said the signing of the avoidance of double taxation treaty was set to open new avenues for commercial and investment cooperation between the two countries.
He added that the UAE has an ambitious peaceful nuclear programme that provides a secure, sound and transparent environment. He expressed the hope that rest of the Middle East countries will follow UAE's example.
Westerwelle welcomed Sheikh Abdullah and his accompanying delegation and expressed the hope that his visit would further contribute in strengthening ties between the two countries.
He said that his talks with Sheikh Abdullah touched on external issues and that both sides agreed on more coordination and exchange of views towards political issues worldwide.
"We focused on two key issues; the conflict in the Middle East and the efforts to bring about peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We agreed that more efforts are needed to find the suitable solutions for supporting the two countries." Westerwelle went on to say that the two countries attach great importance to the stability of Yemen and that they were already in close coordination with regard to the situation in Afghanistan.
The two ministers talks also covered the issues to be discussed during Afghanistan International Conference, to be held in Kabul later this month.
Sheikh Abdullah attended last night a reception hosted in his honour by Mohammed Ahmed Al Mahmoud, UAE Ambassador to Germany. (WAM/MAB)
