Geopolitical Rupture. Strategic Responsibility. Joint Action.
Two days of dialogue in Berlin have come to a close. The eighth German-Arab Gulf Dialogue brought together political, diplomatic, business and research perspectives on security and cooperation in a changing geopolitical landscape. Explore the highlights and voices from this year’s Dialogue.
The strategic context
The security order of the Gulf region stands at a historic breaking point. Power relations, alliances, energy flows and trade routes are shifting. Europe is directly affected in geostrategic and geoeconomic terms and must adapt its partnership with the GCC states to this new environment. The Dialogue therefore asks the decisive question: how can European interests and those of the Gulf region become reliable coordination, concrete partnerships and a shared capacity to act?
Four fields of action
Security is the frame. Cooperation is the method. Energy and economic resilience are fields of action.
01Strategic securityThe Gulf region is undergoing a geopolitical rupture. Security arrangements and power relations are being redefined. This also raises new questions for Germany and Europe about interests, responsibility and cooperation. Together with the GCC states, they need to develop sustainable forms of political coordination and a shared capacity to act.
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02Connected systemsEnergy is not an isolated economic issue. Supply, infrastructure, maritime routes and industrial transformation shape the security and capacity to act of both regions.
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03Resilient exchangePotential alone does not create partnership. Capital, industrial expertise, innovation and infrastructure programmes must be translated into concrete projects, investment and resilient supply chains.
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04Human connectionStrategic partnerships prove themselves under pressure. Diplomacy, research, education and professional networks create the trust and institutional links that sustain political cooperation in times of crisis.
Explore the themeParticipants
Programme participants are introduced here as the agenda develops. Speakers whose participation is not yet confirmed are marked (tbc.).
Manar ShahinPresident; former Bavarian Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology
German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG)
Manar ShahinHonorary Chairman of the Conference; Chairman
King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS)
International moderator, TV presenter and journalist
Independent
Minister-President of Bavaria
Bavarian State Government
Foto-AG Gymnasium Melle · CC BY 3.0Vice President of the German Bundestag
German Bundestag
Katarzyna Mazur / Embassy of Poland in Berlin · CC BY 3.0 PLState Secretary
Federal Ministry of the Interior
Olaf Kosinsky / Skillshare.eu · CC BY-SA 3.0 DEMinister of State
German Federal Foreign Office
Foto-AG Gymnasium Melle · CC BY 3.0Member of the German Bundestag and Chairman of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for the Arab States
German Bundestag
Chairman of the Board; former UAE Ambassador to India; Member of the DAFG Board of Directors
Emirates Family Office Association (EFOA); German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG)
Member of the Board of Directors
German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG)
Arne List · CC BY-SA 3.0Member of the German Bundestag
German Bundestag
© DBT/Inga HaarMember of the German Bundestag; Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee
German Bundestag
Assistant Secretary-General for Scientific Affairs
King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS)
Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder; former Member of the Federal National Council
Al Majlis Group
Director for the Middle East and North Africa
German Federal Foreign Office
Former Minister of Information of the State of Kuwait
Kuwait University
Policy Fellow
European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
Baghdad Policy Club · CC BY-SA 4.0Senior Expert Europe, Neighbourhood and the Middle East
Bertelsmann Stiftung
Former German Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Federal Foreign Office (ret.)
Director of Research and Executive Manager of the Brussels Office
Gulf Research Center Foundation Brussels
Marc Darchinger / SWPUnited Nations Under-Secretary-General (ret.); Senior Distinguished Fellow
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)
Director General
b’huth – Dubai Public Policy Research Center
Non-resident Senior Fellow, podcaster and author
American-German Institute; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Political Advisor
Office of the EUSR for the Gulf Region, European External Action Service
Deputy CEO
Entrepreneurs’ Association of Baden-Wuerttemberg (UBW)
Deputy Director General; Advisor in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy
Lawyer and Member of the Board of Directors of the DAFG
Schwippert Law Office
World Economic Forum / Valeriano Di Domenico · CC BY 2.0Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications
Government of the United Arab Emirates
Geopolitical columnist and commentator; Executive Partner
INTERMID Consultancy
Former Head of the Saudi Mission to the European Union
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Acting Head of the Global Affairs Department
B’huth – Dubai Public Policy Research Center
Deputy Director, DG MENA.C - Gulf
Directorate-General for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf, European Commission
Michael Jäger · © Michael JägerSenior Researcher
Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO)
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Federal Republic of Germany
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
Head of the Middle East Division
German Federal Foreign Office
AI and Public Sector Digital Transformation Expert
Independent expert
Berghof FoundationHead of Department, MENA Peace Support
Berghof Foundation
Deputy Head, Cyber Foreign Policy and Cybersecurity; Deputy Cyber Coordinator
German Federal Foreign Office
Regional Director for Africa, Near and Middle East and Foreign Economic Cooperation
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE)
Managing Director
German Security and Defence Industry Association (BDSV)
Former Assistant Undersecretary
National Security Bureau of the State of Kuwait
President
Bavarian University of Business and Technology (HDBW)
Mediation Team
German Federal Foreign Office
Michael Jäger · © Michael JägerCo-founder and CEO
Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO)
Mediation Advisor
Stabilisation Platform
Head of Political Economy
Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi)
Dr Stefan Kaufmann · CC BY 3.0Founder and Managing Director; former Member of the German Bundestag and former Innovation Officer for Green Hydrogen
Clean World Hydrogen Consulting
Advisor, UNIDO–GIZ Partnership Catalyst
GIZ, seconded to UNIDO ITPO Germany
Senior Research Fellow
German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
Founder and CEO
HogrefeConsult
Specialist for Innovation and Supply Chains
UNIDO ITPO Germany
CSR and Human Rights Director
Vinci
Director of the ILO Country Office for Qatar
International Labour Organization
Member of the Board of Directors of the DAFG and Co-Chair of the B20 Working Group on Employment and Education
German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG)
Founder and CEO
DiploTech Solutions
Chair of the Advisory Committee
GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre
Policy Planning Unit
German Federal Foreign Office
Dean, Faculty of Law
Alfaisal University
Chief AI Officer
German Federal Foreign Office
Olaf Kosinsky / Skillshare.eu · CC BY-SA 3.0 DELawyer and arbitrator specialising in sports law and dispute resolution
Independent
Head of Division, Bilateral Digital Policy
Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernization
Secretary General of the Conciliation and Mediation Board
German Association of Law and Information Technology
CEO
nAIxt Technologies GmbH
Senior Researcher and Representative in Japan
GIGA Institute for Asian Studies
Director Corporate Affairs, DACH; Head of the Berlin Office
BP Europa SE
Head of LNG Strategy
EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG
North Africa, Middle East
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
Senior Consultant FutureTech
Christ&Company
Policy Planning Unit
German Federal Foreign Office
Doctoral Researcher
German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)
Global Engagement Executive for Worley Energy, Chemicals, Resources; former Senior Advisor to the Saudi Minister of Energy; former Saudi Aramco executive
Worley
Managing Director
Clean Energy Forum (CEF)
Deputy Minister for International Affairs
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer and Board Member; Chair of the Global Public Affairs Network
Gi Group Holding; World Employment Confederation
Senior Advisor, Middle East and North Africa Unit
Berghof Foundation
Chief Security Officer; Member of the DAFG Advisory Board
Covestro AG; German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG)
Deputy CEO and Director Education Affairs
The German Emirati Institute Technologies 4.0
Head and Founder
Institut für Medienverantwortung (IMV)
Author; former correspondent in the United Arab Emirates
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Editor-in-Chief
Zenith Magazine
Correspondent, Foreign Desk
DER SPIEGEL
Use the arrows or swipe to browse all published speakers.
21–22 September 2026
Across two days, plenary sessions and workshops connect geopolitical analysis with practical fields of German–European–Gulf cooperation. Selected side events are accessible by personal invitation only.
Preliminary programme: Programme items and speakers that are not yet confirmed are marked (tbc.). The programme remains subject to change.
Ali Aslan in conversation with the Honorary Chairman of the Conference, H.R.H. Prince Turki AlFaisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
H.R.H. Prince Turki AlFaisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud · Ali Aslan
Keynote perspectives from political representatives of the Gulf states and Germany. Participants marked tbc. remain subject to confirmation.
Omid Nouripour · Hans-Georg Engelke · Serap Güler (tbc.)
A high-level discussion on foreign policy and strategic partnership between Germany, Europe and the Gulf states.
ChairAmbassador (ret.) Bernd Mützelburg · H.E. Dr. Ahmed Albanna
SpeakersAlexander Radwan · Stephan Mayer · Ambassador (ret.) Dieter Lamlé · Prof. Dr. Saad Bin Tiflah Al Ajmi · Prof. Dr. Volker Perthes · Mohammed Abdul Rahman Baharoon · Tamim Izzaoui
Security policy, mediation and conflict management, public and cultural diplomacy, and economic cooperation in industry, digitalisation, AI, technology, research and development.
ChairDr. Cinzia Bianco
SpeakersLamya Kaddor · H.E. Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Dhaheri · Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi · Clemens Hach · H.E. Ahmed Ebrahim A. Rahman Alqarainees · H.E. Ambassador Saad M. Alarify · Sonja Neuweiler · Sascha Tomaczewski · Abdulla Aljenaid
Dialogue archive · 2025
Revisit leading voices and explore selected conversations, films and photographs from previous editions of the German-Arab Gulf Dialogue.
Eight editions of dialogue.
Explore the full editionBerlin Declaration pathway
The Dialogue is designed to translate strategic exchange into shared priorities and practical recommendations. Approved contributions from plenary sessions and workshops will inform the development of the Berlin Declaration.
Berlin · 21–22 September 2026
The Dialogue takes place at the JW Marriott Hotel Berlin, close to Potsdamer Platz and Berlin's central transport connections.
Venue
Transport
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Newsroom
The press hub provides announcements, background information, programme updates, approved speaker material and contacts for editorial enquiries. Journalists can apply for media accreditation here.
The eighth German-Arab Gulf Dialogue on Security and Cooperation in Berlin connected the geopolitical debate with practical proposals for cooperation – laying substantive groundwork for further discussion ahead of the EU–GCC summit.
Read the congress summary Photo: Manar Yousef
Prince Turki AlFaisal and senior representatives from Germany and the Gulf states will meet in Berlin on 21–22 September for the eighth German-Arab Gulf Dialogue on Security and Cooperation.
Read moreInstitutional network
The German-Arab Gulf Dialogue is supported by an established network of institutional and sectoral partners.
Connect with the Dialogue
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