Abu Dhabi means business this week

More than 1,000 high-profile figures from 25 countries will take part in the Abu Dhabi Economic Forum that will be held in the UAE capital today and tomorrow.

Organized by Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal Conferences and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Forum will bring together high-profile government and business leaders from across the region and other parts of the world.

Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification, government plans on upgrading the existing infrastructure in the emirate, and increased oil and gas production are all likely to be topics of discussion.

The forum will be held at the Emirates Palace Hotel, where German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel – joined by Michael Glos, her Federal Minister of Economics – will today address a German-Emirati Business Forum. Agreements between Emirati and German companies are expected to be signed at the event.

The Federal Chancellor will also hold a speech titled "Challenges for European Foreign Policy" at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) in Abu Dhabi tonight, before visiting Dubai tomorrow.

Merkel has vowed to reactivate the peace process in the Middle East during Germany’s rotating presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2007. The country will also lead the G8 this year.

A spokesperson for the German embassy in Abu Dhabi told ArabianBusiness.com that a long discussed free trade agreement between the GCC and EU is also likely to be one of Merkel’s topics of discussion.

Merkel is in the UAE on February 5-6, as part of a tour of the region that also includes visits to Egypt, Saudi-Arabia, and Kuwait.

During her stay in the Emirates, Merkel will hold meetings with HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, HH Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister, Vice-President and Ruler of Dubai, and HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE.

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