Germany’s chancellor pledged to boost trade with Gulf countries on Tuesday as she kicked off a four-state Gulf tour by visiting the United Arab Emirates. The four-day trip to the region by Angela Merkel, accompanied by a high-level business delegation, is a sign of developing relations between Germany and Arab nations.

In addition to promising to expand the estimated €60 billion (us$74 billion) in two-way trade between Germany and the Middle East, Angela Merkel’s talks with Gulf countries are focused on the Middle East peace process and the Iranian threat. “The Gulf states and especially the uae play an important role in the Middle East peace process and, of course, also in the relations with Iran,” Merkel told reporters in Abu Dhabi.

Chancellor Merkel met with UAE President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan before travelling to Saudi Arabia late Tuesday for a two-day visit, with talks focusing on expanding economic and political ties. In discussions on Tuesday with King Abdullah and other top Saudi officials Merkel discussed regional security and other issues.

Merkel is also scheduled to visit the natural-gas-rich state of Qatar and Bahrain before returning to Berlin.

Germany already has considerable economic ties with these countries. Associated Press reports that “Germany, Europe’s export powerhouse and largest economy, has emerged as a key destination for Gulf oil wealth in recent years” (May 25). Last November, an investment firm owned by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund agreed to a $26 billion deal allowing Germany’s national railway operator Deutsche Bahn AG to build a railroad network in the country. Several commercial deals have already been signed between Germany and the uae during this current trip.

Berlin’s ongoing and developing relations with certain Arab nations are significant in light of an end-time prophecy that a confederation of Arab nations will together join in an alliance with Germany (Psalm 83). Read our recent article “The Arabian-German Alliance” and also “Should America Ally With Arabs Against Iran?” for more detail on this soon-to-be-fulfilled prophecy and the repercussions it will have for the United States and its allies.