A high-level delegation from Sharjah is currently visiting Germany to explore areas of co-operation and enhance business relations with Europe's largest economy.

The three-member team includes Mr Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI), Mr Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director-General of Expo Centre Sharjah, and Mr Fasahat Ali Khan, Advisor to the Chairman and Board of Directors of Expo Centre Sharjah.

The Sharjah team left on June 10 and will visit Munich, Stuttgart, and Hamburg. They will also visit Italy to attend the 70th edition of Expo Riva Schuh, the international show dedicated to volume footwear. Expo Centre Sharjah this year held the first edition of Expo Riva Schuh Middle East in collaboration with Riva del Garda Fierecongressi of Italy. The delegation will return on June 18.

"The UAE-German ties are on a new high. Germany is also the biggest strategic partner of the UAE, and our visit aims to further enhance co-operation and trade relations with the country," Mr Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa said.

Expo Centre Sharjah, the exhibition wing of the SCCI, already has a tie-up with the International Trade Fair Service (IMAG - Internationaler Messe-und Ausstellungsdienst GmbH), a member of the Munich International Trade Fairs Group, to jointly organise the third edition of CONMEX in 2008. The Munich International Trade Fairs Group is the organisers of BAUMA, the largest construction machinery show in the world.

High on the agenda of the team will be forging agreements of co-operation with major trade fair organisers of Germany, apart from promoting Expo Centre Sharjah and its trade and consumer shows.

"We will be meeting with the representatives of major trade fair organisers to explore areas of co-operation. Given the economic boom in the UAE in general and Sharjah in particular, several exhibition organisers and trade bodies will be interested in collaborating with us," Mr Midfa added.

Trade between the countries is also on the upswing. The Ministry of Economy figures showed that the UAE is the largest Arab market for German products, accounting for nearly 25 per cent of Germany's exports to the Arab world in 2006. Exports to the UAE jumped by around 17 per cent to 3.4 billion euros in the first seven months of 2007 from 2.9 billion euros in the same period of 2006.

The trade volume between Sharjah and Germany reached 1.1 billion dirhams in 2006. Statistics show that Sharjah has attracted more than 50,000 German tourists in 2006, an increase of 10 per cent from 2005, as Sharjah is considered one of the destinations of choice for German tourists.