DUBAI, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Two senior officials from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Germany met on Tuesday to discuss the "ways to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation in trade, investment and energy."

       Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, and Robert Habeck, German minister for economic affairs and climate action, discussed issues of common interest, including energy, and stressed the importance of stabilising the world's energy and food markets, UAE's state news agency WAM reported.

       The two officials also exchanged views on the latest developments of regional and international issues, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and ways to resolve the conflict, said the report.

       The meeting came a day after five major agreements related to hydrogen research and development were signed between Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, a leading UAE company for hydrogen production, and the German energy companies Hydrogenious and Uniper.

       Before arriving in the UAE, Habeck was in Qatar on Sunday to search for alternatives to Russian gas supply following the U.S.-led sanctions on Russia in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

       The German minister's three-day trip to the Middle East was "aimed at finding alternative sources of energy that would help Germany reduce its reliance on Russian oil and gas supplies," reported German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.