UAE and Germany look to build ties with investment, energy and AI deals

BERLIN, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Germany and the United Arab Emirates will sign investment, AI and energy deals worth several billion dollars on Thursday as part of a push to step up relations between the two countries, one of the UAE's top diplomats said on Wednesday.

Lana Nusseibeh, a former UAE ‌ambassador to the United Nations who now holds the rank of minister of state in the Gulf country's foreign ministry, said the agreements would mark the opening of a new stage in relations.

Germany and the UAE have longstanding partnerships in several areas and a trade relationship, excluding oil, worth about $15.5 billion a year.

But growing geopolitical uncertainty, including the war with Iran and a changed relationship with the United States, has pushed both to try to broaden their strategic networks and deepen ties with existing partners.

"A stronger UAE–Germany relationship can help connect European industrial and technological strengths with capital, energy and growth opportunities across the Gulf, Asia and Africa," Nusseibeh told a meeting with journalists in Berlin.

She gave no details of the agreements to be signed during a visit to Berlin by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which she said would be "a statement of intent about our future."

But she said there would be a dedicated framework for technology cooperation, bringing together researchers and investors as well as agreements on energy transition, building on existing agreements in renewables, hydrogen and energy efficiency.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the Gulf region in February, just before the United States and Israel launched a series of strikes against Iran, opening a war that has not been resolved more than six months later.

"At a time when the international order is under strain, partnerships like that between the UAE and Germany are essential," Nusseibeh said.

(Reporting by James MackenzieEditing by Ros Russell)