When Robert Habeck tours Masdar City on Monday, he is in his element.

In front of him is an expansive field of solar panels.

The sun not only shines, it literally burns from the sky.

In addition, there is a sometimes strong wind that makes the midday heat at the gates of Abu Dhabi at least a little more bearable.

Green electricity as far as the eye can see, plus a plant that converts it into hydrogen: it can hardly be greener than in the ecological flagship city of the Emirates.

Julia Loehr

Business correspondent in Berlin.

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The day before in Doha, Qatar, Habeck was primarily the gas minister.

The one who now has to organize new imports if those from Russia are to end as soon as possible.

One appointment followed the next, and at the end there was the announcement of an energy partnership with the country.

It's all still pretty vague, but one thing is already clear: at some point, somehow, Qatari liquefied gas will also flow through Germany's pipelines.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Habecks wanted to continue telling the story.

Not just looking at the next few years, but at the coming decades.

Renewable instead of fossil energies.

And then, in the middle of the beautiful scenery of Masdar City, comes the question about Assad - and for Habeck the day is no longer as beautiful as it seemed.

Habeck has to explain himself

A few days ago, the Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad visited Abu Dhabi for the first time since the civil war began eleven years ago.

As expected, there was little to read about the bloodshed in Syria in the official announcements, instead the two countries assured each other of good relations.

So it is that Habeck now has to explain whether the federal government really wants to move in this environment, seeking cooperation with countries that chat with warlords.

Habeck pauses even longer than usual between the individual sentences of his answer. "In my eyes, Assad is a criminal," he says.

And that he also makes this clear to his interlocutors.

But he also says that Germany in particular should perhaps hold back a little from “always telling everyone else how to conduct foreign policy properly”.

It is about the future of German energy supply

This trip is primarily about the future of German energy supply.

Habeck has agreed with Abu Dhabi to set up a hydrogen supply chain all the way to Germany.

The most important partner on the part of the Arabs: the state oil company ADNOC.

In the morning, Thyssenkrupp CEO Martina Merz calculated how much hydrogen her company alone will need each year in the future: 720,000 tons.

Like most managers accompanying Habeck on his journey, she is full of praise for the newcomer to the ministry.

His pragmatic manner, the direct inquiries via SMS: That helps a lot with a mammoth project like the energy transition.

But above all the individual figures and projects there is always the fundamental question: If the Greens want to pursue a value-based foreign policy, shouldn't that also apply to their foreign trade policy?

In front of the solar field in Masdar City, Habeck is asked by a local journalist that Russian oligarchs are now taking their possessions to safety in the United Arab Emirates.

Habeck replies that the country is pursuing a different foreign policy than Germany, but that he would like it not to use the EU sanctions for its own benefit.

Later, shortly before his meeting with the Minister of Energy and after the pictures of Habeck's numerous bows in Qatar have made the rounds in Germany, he has to justify his trip and the planned cooperation again.

Why Qatar and Abu Dhabi?

“The two countries have their own state tradition, which is clearly not the German one.

But you have to see where they come from.” The “dynamics of liberalization” is great.

Former Foreign and Economics Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) joined the debate on Monday via the short message service.

"Qatar does not threaten anyone, does not finance any terrorist organization, but hosts Hamas and the Taliban at the request of the USA (!) in order to be able to negotiate with them in Doha," he writes.

"Qatar is simply a reliable partner for the West." Is Habeck happy about this support from the sidelines?

Probably not.

Actually, he would already be well occupied with the energy and moral issues.

But German domestic politics kept bursting in the way during the trip.

On Sunday evening, shortly before the departure of the government plane "Kurt Schumacher" from Doha to Abu Dhabi, Habeck was keen to say something about the relief package that is currently being negotiated in Berlin.

He demands, not for the first time, that not only the load but also the energy consumption must be reduced.

That soon no new gas heaters should be installed in Germany.

So not only in 2025, as stated in the coalition agreement.

How much earlier, he does not say yet.

Those who give advice also get some back: Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) demands that the government should start a new attempt for a free trade agreement with America.

It's a not entirely friendly interference in Habeck's responsibilities.

From vice-vice-chancellor to vice-chancellor, so to speak.

And so, when the topics of hydrogen, Assad and oligarchs have been dealt with, Habeck also has to take a stand in Masdar City.

"I was just in the United States.

Americans don't expect us to do a big free trade deal now, nor will it lead to anything in the short term," he says.

The topic is over.

If there's one thing Habeck doesn't need after his gas-shopping spree, it's a new debate about chlorinated chicken.