By Shakeel Sobhan — Published February 5, 2026 — updated February 5, 2026
What you need to know
– Chancellor Friedrich Merz has begun a three-day Gulf tour, starting in Saudi Arabia and continuing to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
– Merz aims to expand Germany’s trade, energy and security ties with Gulf partners and reduce reliance on US LNG.
– Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is in Australia pressing for cooperation on critical raw materials and a swift EU–Australia free trade agreement.
Overview
Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Riyadh with a business delegation to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, kicking off the first leg of a three-country Gulf visit. The trip is focused on diversifying Germany’s energy and trade links, broadening oil and gas supply options, and strengthening commercial and security partnerships as global geopolitics shift.
Goals of the visit
Merz will use meetings across Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE to seek deeper cooperation on energy, trade and security. Reducing dependence on US liquefied natural gas is a clear objective as Germany looks to broaden its supply chains. The delegation also includes business leaders aimed at securing contracts and investment ties between German firms and Gulf partners.
Human rights and diplomacy
Merz said he would raise human rights issues in talks but acknowledged that these concerns have receded in prominence compared with other priorities in recent bilateral engagements. Saudi Arabia continues to face criticism over its justice system and treatment of women, and those issues are expected to feature in diplomatic conversations alongside economic and security topics.
Regional context
The visit comes amid regional tensions, notably worries about Iran’s activities, which lend added strategic weight to Germany’s outreach. Merz’s approach appears intended to balance pragmatic economic and energy interests with calls for stability in a volatile neighborhood.
Wadephul in Australia
While Merz is in the Gulf, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has been in Australia pushing for closer ties on critical raw materials and urging a rapid conclusion to the long-stalled EU–Australia free trade agreement. After talks with Australian counterparts, Wadephul highlighted Australia’s role in diversifying supply chains for strategically important minerals, noting Australia supplies roughly 20 percent of the world’s hard-rock lithium and holds significant deposits of elements such as neodymium and terbium.
Wadephul said Germany wants to expand partnerships in the raw materials sector and called for progress on an EU–Australia trade deal, ideally before the end of the year, arguing that both sides would benefit from removing trade barriers.
What’s next
This summary covers Germany-related developments on Thursday, February 5, 2026. More reporting will follow as Merz continues his Gulf tour and Wadephul pursues resource and trade diplomacy in Australia.