RIYADH, 14 June 2006 — Germany will use the World Cup event as a platform to showcase its strength in the fields of business, higher education and technology.
“Seminars will be held in Munich for visiting Saudi students, businessmen and government officials on the occasion of some important fixtures featuring Saudi Arabia Vs Spain (June 23) and again for the finals on July 9 in Berlin,” Tobias Krause, first secretary (Press and Economic Affairs) at the German Embassy, told Arab News.
He said the momentum in the bilateral relations had already started, especially on the educational front. The embassy issued visas for 50 students last year for pursuing technical courses in Germany. “The accent will, of course, be on business through some new initiatives which will be launched on the occasion.”
The volume of trade between the two countries registered a 35 percent increase in the first half of last year compared to the corresponding period for the previous year.
Krause added that the embassy was also organizing classes in German language for the benefit of those wishing to pursue higher studies in Germany. This was in addition to the teaching of German at the College of Languages and Translation at King Saud University, where many other foreign languages are also taught.
He said the embassy issued 950 visas to enable Saudis to watch the World Cup matches in Munich and the finals in Berlin. It will provide a live telecast of the Fifa World Cup first round match between Saudi Arabia and Tunisia today and again on June 19 between Saudi Arabia and Ukraine.