JEDDAH, 3 October 2005 — German expats celebrated their National Day here on Saturday night. Officials, diplomats and businessmen were among the large number of invitees present at a reception hosted by German Consul General Dr. Hubert Lang. “The day is celebrated as the day of German unity,” Lang said addressing the gathering at the Jeddah InterContinental Hotel.
Fifteen years ago, the German people reunited after 40 years of separate political destinies in a “peaceful yet powerful revolution.” The fall of the Berlin wall a few months earlier marked the beginning of the end of the old postwar order in the eastern parts of Europe, the iron curtain was swept away and with it the Soviet empire and its outlived ideology. “If you look at Europe today, you see a completely different political landscape with most of the eastern neighbors of Germany being members of the European Union,” he said expressing his happiness over the presence of the representatives of the United States, France and the UK at the reception. “These states were helpful, if not instrumental, in bringing about the German unity,” he added.
The cake prepared for the event represented a soccer field, with some of the hotel staff sporting the German national soccer team.
“Well, some of you might know that Germany will be hosting the soccer world championship between June 9 and July 6, 2006, and the Saudi national soccer team will be among the participants,” the consul general said.
In the few weeks that he has been here, Lang said, he realized that the city had a thriving business community. “Through the annual Jeddah Economic Forum, the city has become a place for a high level of international and global interaction,” he said and welcomed the business community representing the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Lang referred to the role of the Board of Saudi German Business Group (SGBG), which is headed by Khaled Juffali, and said: “This group is actually providing a platform and meeting point not only for Saudi and German businessmen and businesswomen, but also for students, alumnis of German universities and everyone interested in Saudi-German relations in the widest possible sense. “It’s a platform where business meets with culture and information with entertainment,” he said.
The SGBG is a non-profit organization, which has the support of the German consulate. Its objectives include promoting and cultivating Saudi-German friendship, enhancing economic and commercial activity, and offering a contact point to alumnis of German universities to students who want to study in Germany or visit the country.
