UAE ABU DHABI, 25 Oct, 05 (WAM) - The German state of Hessen iskeen to boost its economic relations with the UAE, and is lookingfor partnerships in a number of fields including healthcareand finance sectors, according to Roland Koch, Minister Presidentof the German state of Hessen.

In a recent exclusive interview with the Emirates News Agency(WAM) in Germany. Koch, who will be visiting the UAE sometimethis year, said that one of the main objectives of his trip tothe UAE is to bolster the growing relations between the representativesof Hessen and the officials responsible for the economic developmentin the UAE.

"We want to share our objectives and to find partners to furtherdevelop our economic relations. It is not only political relationsthat needs to be enhanced. We also need to strengthen and exploremore opportunities in terms of our economic relations,' Kochsaid.

He said that during his trip he will be travelling along with30 to 40 top level businessmen from his state to help them openthe doors of potential economic partnerships in the UAE and toestablish cooperation with small and medium size companies.

International investors have recognised Hessen as one of theirtop choice in Germany. It has become the headquarters to moreinternational companies than any other German state, he said.

'Our state is known for international trade and we are alsoresponsible for good environment with companies, but we alsoaim to specialise on certain points, for example, the healthcaresector where public cooperation is needed because it has tobe implemented in a structure with public interest in mind.

We consider the healthcare sector as one of the most importantfactors for us. We recently decided to merge two universityclinics in Marburg to build a new and large entity in Germanyand we are going to privatise that new entity in the beginningof January next year,' Koch said.

'This is the first time in Germany a complete university clinicis being privatised and the management capability and capacityas well as a complete knowledge of merging hospitals accordingto German law are the foremost deciding factors in deciding whichconsortium will be managing this major entity,' Koch explained.

Koch added that one of the advantage of the State of Hessenis its diverse economic structure. 'We are very strong in theeconomic and financial world, and traditionally the pharmaceuticaland chemical industry as well. We are called the 'Pharmacy ofEurope'.

We also enjoy a robust reputation in the car production area.

General Motors, Opel headquaters, and all Asian car producingcompanies are located here and around Frankfurt which we considerto be a very important advantage for us today,' he said.

Hessen has also been ranked as the leading European hightech business location in the region offering excellent perspectivesfor new and pioneering technologies in this sector.

'Frankfurt is the centre of the Federal Republic or Germany.

Frankfurt International Airport is the most important airportin Germany as it is the gateway to the other states in the countryas well as to other European countries. And we are using thisadvantage to improve our relations with a lot of companies inthe Arab region. We have a lot to offer in a logistical standpointfor European activities which also includes healthcare activitieswhich is a very interesting part of our cooperation with someof the major university hospitals in Germany like Marburg University,'he added.

Located in the heart of Europe, Hessen is one of Germany's sixteenfederal states. Situated in western-central Germany, Hessen'sprincipal cities include Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Kasser,Gei'en, Marburg, Offenbach and Fulda.

Hessen has been ranked as the strongest economic state in Germanyhaving the highest per capital GDP. Hessen's economic diversityhas been the driving factor for its success. More than 85 percent of all firms are small or medium sized companies many ofwhom are active on global markets.

Majority of Hessen's 350,000 companies operate in the servicesector with the chemical industry being the largest industrialsector in terms of revenue followed by mechanical, engineering,automotive and electrical engineering sectors.

In addition to the financial and business centre in Frankfurt,there are 11 major cities in Hessen.