Saxony: Dulig sees strategic partners in the UAE

Abu Dhabi (dpa/sn) - Saxony's Economics Minister Martin Dulig (SPD) sees the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a strategic partner for the Free State.

Saxony: Dulig sees strategic partners in the UAE

Abu Dhabi (dpa/sn) - Saxony's Economics Minister Martin Dulig (SPD) sees the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a strategic partner for the Free State. "Not many countries in the region are economically so stable and work together with us so reliably," he said on Thursday in Abu Dhabi. The UAE is "not a democracy by our standards," but is much more advanced than other states in the region when it comes to women's rights, for example.

"Personal contacts are very important in the Arab world, we now have to catch up on the three Corona years and strengthen the old connections. German products are still in great demand because of their high quality and durability. However, other countries are catching up quickly," emphasized the minister.

According to Dulig, both Germany and the UAE face challenges in transforming the energy sector. While Germany is getting out of lignite-fired power generation, the United Arab Emirates are preparing for the end of oil production. In ten to 20 years they want to leave the oil age behind.

Dulig also considers the UAE important as a stepping stone to the East. It is only a few hours from here to India, China, Korea or Japan. But the United Arab Emirates are also becoming increasingly interesting as far as African countries are concerned.

For many years, Saxony has maintained a connection to the Mubadala Investment Company, the largest state investor in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Mubadala is the largest owner of the semiconductor company Globalfoundries with more than 3000 employees in Dresden.

During his visit, Dulig visited, among other things, Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, a solar park in the Emirate of Dubai and Arab Health, the largest medical technology trade fair in the Arab world. There, 15 exhibitors from Saxony will also present themselves at a joint stand.

In 2021, Saxon companies exported goods to the UAE with a total value of 123.7 million euros. The main products came from motor vehicle construction, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering, and to a lesser extent from the watchmaking industry.