Source: IRNABerlin, March 29, IRNA -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday played down the forced closure of a political foundation linked to her Christian Democratic party in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), voicing merely 'regret.'
Speaking at a joint press briefing with Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj at the chancellery in Berlin, Merkel said she wished that the conservative Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation (KAS) could have continued its work in the tiny Persian Gulf country.
The Berlin-based foundation announced earlier in the day that it was ordered by UAE authorities to close its office and terminate all its project activities in Abu Dhabi.
The decision by KAS to open an office in UAE dates back to 2008. KAS has also faced major legal problems over its activities in another Arab country, Egypt.
