By DPA,
Berlin : German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday that the political responsibilities of Gulf nations have grown as their emerging economies develop.
Speaking after a meeting with the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, Merkel welcomed the role played by the Gulf states in preparing for next month’s conference on how to resolve the global financial crisis.
Merkel said she was especially pleased to learn that Saudi Arabia would take part in the Group of 20 meeting hosted by US President George W. Bush in Washington Nov 15.
Hamad, who is paying a four-day visit to Germany, said his country was interested in cooperating with Germany on streamlining the international financial system.
The two countries, he said, also want to promote the peace process in the Middle East.
The monarch called the meeting with Merkel extremely fruitful and said the two countries had agreed to improve cooperation between their interior and foreign ministries.
Merkel praised the reforms introduced in Bahrain and said the coexistence of the different religious denominations in the Gulf state was exemplary.