Countries ♦ Published: 20 minutes ago; 23:19 ♦ (Vindobona)
The League of Arab States (LAS) is reorganizing its diplomatic network: The office in Berlin, the German capital, will close next year. Instead, the organization is expanding its mission in Vienna, which will also help manage relations with Germany in the future. These realignments also affect locations in South America and Africa.
The Headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / janderson977 / Public domain
In the coming months, the League of Arab States will close its representative office on Berlin’s Jägerstraße, near the Gendarmenmarkt in the Mitte district. As the foreign policy portal diplo.news reported exclusively, citing diplomatic sources, the Berlin office is set to be vacated in the first half of next year.
In return, Vienna, the capital of Austria, will see a significant upgrade in its diplomatic status. The Arab League’s mission there on Donau-City-Straße (22nd district, near the UN City) enjoys the diplomatic status of an embassy and has thus far served as a liaison office to Austria as well as to the international organizations and UN agencies based there. In the future, Germany will be co-managed from the Vienna location.
Cost-cutting measures or discontent over Middle East policy?
Officially, financial savings and budget constraints are cited as reasons for the withdrawal from Berlin. Unofficially, however, observers of international relations also point to political motives. Behind the scenes, there is speculation about growing dissatisfaction among several of the 22 member states with Germany’s Middle East policy. The recent tensions and crises may thus have played a part in the decision.
Global withdrawal also affects Buenos Aires and Nairobi
The restructuring is not limited to Europe. As part of its cost-cutting and consolidation measures, the Arab League will also close its missions in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Nairobi (Kenya) in the first half of next year.
Since July 2026, the Arab League has been led by its new Secretary-General, Nabil Fahmy. Born in New York in 1951, the Egyptian diplomat and former foreign minister (2013–2014) took over the position from Ahmed Abu El Gheit, who had led the organization for ten years. Fahmy, dean emeritus of the American University in Cairo, has many years of international experience and, among other roles, has served on the advisory board of the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin.
Background: The League of Arab States and Austria
- Structure and Members: Founded in 1945 and headquartered in Cairo, the regional organization currently comprises 22 member states: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine (which is not recognized as a state by Austria), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
- Objectives: The primary objective is to deepen political, economic, and cultural cooperation and to coordinate the political activities of its member states.
- Relations with Austria: Austria has been accredited as an observer to the Arab League since 2013. Parliamentary and diplomatic contacts with the LAS form a key component of Austrian foreign policy in the Middle East.