Before Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) departed for the Gulf region, his coalition partner the SPD welcomed the trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
In a statement to the TV network ntv, SPD parliamentary foreign policy spokesman Adis Ahmetovic said, “We need strategic resilience in a multipolar world that is increasingly moving away from a rule‑based order”. He added that this order has been torn apart not only by Russia but also by former U.S. President Trump, reinforcing the need for a realistic foreign policy.
Ahmetovic urged Europe to rapidly build resilience and gain greater sovereignty. “It would benefit us and give us strategic space if we do not pit value‑based and interest‑based foreign policy against each other” he said, taking the human‑rights situation in the three authoritarian monarchies into account. “Right now we are dealing with a lot – the stability of our continents. We must act wisely. And sometimes there will be things that do not immediately earn applause from observers”.
He highlighted the large opportunities for closer cooperation with the Gulf states, whether in importing green hydrogen, deepening trade ties, or engaging diplomatically to stabilise neighbouring regions. “The chancellor’s visit to the three Gulf states should not be reduced to weapons deals; it must address a range of topics: economic cooperation and investment, expansion of green energy and security cooperation” Ahmetovic said. “If all of these are the focus, Merz can make a point – and the trip can be successful”.
