Angela Merkel arrives in Abu Dhabi

Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, arrived in Abu Dhabi today on an official state visit.

Upon her arrival at the Presidential Airport, Ms. Merkel was greeted by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

An official reception ceremony was held in honour of the German Chancellor, where both the UAE and German national anthems were played and a 21-gun salute was fired in honour of the guest. A group of school children from the German School in Abu Dhabi also greeted Merkel, waving the flags of the two countries.

The UAE reception was also attended by H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ali Mohammed Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority, Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Under-Secretary of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, Ali Abdullah Al-Ahmad, UAE Ambassador to Germany, and a number of senior officials.

The German delegation included Steffen Seibert, German Government spokesperson, Gotz Lingenthal, German Ambassador to the UAE, and Christoph Heusgen, Foreign and Security Policy Adviser to the German Chancellor.