Geopolitical Rupture. Strategic Responsibility. Joint Action.
The Gulf region is undergoing a geopolitical rupture. A new phase of strategic cooperation is beginning for Germany, Europe and the GCC states. The 8th German-Arab Gulf Dialogue brings together the actors capable of clarifying interests, strengthening partnerships and turning dialogue into joint action.
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.
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Programme participants are introduced here as the agenda develops. Speakers whose participation is not yet confirmed are marked (tbc.).
Manar ShahinPresident
German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG)
Manar ShahinChairman
King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS)
International moderator, TV presenter and journalist
Independent
Minister-President of Bavaria
Bavarian State Government
Arctic Circle · CC BY 2.0Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology
Government of the United Arab Emirates
Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs · OGL v1.0Minister of Foreign Affairs
Government of the Sultanate of Oman
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
Emirates Family Office Association (EFOA)
Member of the Board of Directors
German-Arab Friendship Association (DAFG)
Arne List · CC BY-SA 3.0Member of the German Bundestag
German Bundestag
Assistant Secretary-General for Scientific Affairs
King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS)
CEO; former Member of the Federal National Council
Al Majlis Group
Director for the Middle East and North Africa
German Federal Foreign Office
Chairman of the Defense Affairs, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee
Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates
Former Minister of Information of the State of Kuwait
Kuwait University
Policy Fellow
European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
Security and Political Analyst; former Ambassador of Oman to Washington, D.C.
Independent
Baghdad Policy Club · CC BY-SA 4.0Senior Expert Europe, Neighbourhood and the Middle East
Bertelsmann Stiftung
Director of Research and Executive Manager of the Brussels Office
Gulf Research Center Foundation Brussels
Former Air Force Commander
United Arab Emirates Armed Forces
Journalist and political scientist
Independent; formerly Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Deputy CEO
Entrepreneurs’ Association of Baden-Wuerttemberg (UBW)
Lawyer and Member of the Board of Directors of the DAFG
Schwippert Law Office
Chairman
Muscat Policy Center
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
Advisor to the Minister and Head of the Geopolitical Research Unit
Ministry of Economy and Planning
Executive Director
Gulf Monitoring Group
Representative
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Head of Planning Division
German Federal Foreign Office
Assistant Director General for European Affairs and Director of the Western Europe Department
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Michael Jäger · © Michael JägerSenior Researcher
Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO)
Head of the Middle East Division
German Federal Foreign Office
Representative
Ministry of Economy and Planning
AI and Public Sector Digital Transformation Expert
Independent expert
Lead, Data Innovation Lab
German Federal Foreign Office
Division for Cyber Foreign Policy and Technology Security Issues
German Federal Foreign Office
Co-project lead of the JOSHUA project
Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF)
Former Assistant Undersecretary
National Security Bureau of the State of Kuwait
President
Bavarian University of Business and Technology (HDBW)
Executive Director
KIRA Center
Michael Jäger · © Michael JägerCo-founder and CEO
Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO)
Head of Political Economy
Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi)
Dr Stefan Kaufmann · CC BY 3.0Former Member of the German Bundestag and former Innovation Officer for Green Hydrogen
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Senior Research Fellow
German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
Founder and CEO; Member of the Board of Directors of the DAFG
Hogrefe Consult
Director General, International Labour Organisation Affairs
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development
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)
Board Member
GCC Commercial Arbitration Center
Dean, Faculty of Law
Alfaisal University
Director
Ministry of Labour of the State of Qatar / Permanent Mission in Geneva
Olaf Kosinsky / Skillshare.eu · CC BY-SA 3.0 DELawyer and arbitrator specialising in sports law and dispute resolution
Independent
Secretary General of the Conciliation and Mediation Board
German Association of Law and Information Technology
Partner, Business Risk & Audit
Randstad
Scientific and Managing Director
EEI Eco-Environment Innovation eGbR
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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 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.
H.E. Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi (tbc.) · H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber (tbc.) · 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
SpeakersAlexander Radwan · Clemens Hach · Abdullah Hamidaddin (tbc.) · H.E. Dr. Ahmed Albanna · Prof. Dr. Saad Bin Tiflah Al Ajmi (tbc.) · Abdulhakeem Alsabbagh (tbc.)
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. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi (tbc.) · Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi (tbc.) · Dr. Yousuf Mohammed Al Bulushi (tbc.) · Dr. Zafer Al Ajmi (tbc.)
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
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Institutional network
The German-Arab Gulf Dialogue is supported by an established network of institutional and sectoral partners.
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