Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to address you on the occasion of the visit of H.E. Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, vice chancellor and minister of foreign affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany. This visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia underlines, once again, the intensity and depth of our bilateral relations. In addition, German-Saudi relations are an important part of the broad dialogue between Europe and the Arab peninsula, which is a strategic necessity more than ever before.
In the course of his visit to Riyadh, Minister Steinmeier will be received by the highest representatives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is to be expected that the talks will focus on the most pressing international questions: Regional stability and global financial crisis. As national economies continue to integrate on a global scale and people travel and communicate internationally more and more, the world is getting smaller. Everybody’s stake in international and regional stability continues to grow. Fortunately, Germany and the Kingdom have developed their relations in recent years to include all fields of cooperation — political, economic and cultural. On this firm basis of knowing and trusting each other, both countries can make their contribution to solving the problems which are at the top of today’s agenda.
The global financial crisis has affected all countries of the world. This means, that in the end solutions must also have a global reach. This is only possible if all relevant international parties find a consensus through multilateral discussions. Germany and Saudi Arabia have an important share in the global markets and thus carry a proportionate share of responsibility for making contributions to solving the current crises. The consultations will give a welcome opportunity to share views and discuss the upcoming international deliberations.
On the bilateral level, I am glad to be able to say that they are strong and continue to develop with a very positive dynamic. We are proud to see that German technology finds great interest in Saudi Arabia, not only our excellent cars, but all kinds of sophisticated machinery which includes the medical sector and the future of energy production in the form of renewables. We need new technologies in order to meet the challenges of the future. In our bilateral cooperation, we have a chance to make a significant contribution to combining economic growth and sustainable development in an environment of friendship. In my view, strong bilateral cultural relations are one of the most important factors for the long-term development of our relations. Common action is at its most effective when it is grounded in a common understanding. In the end, it is a network of people who are at the core of any bilateral relations. The better these people know each other, the more resistant the network.
I am quite optimistic for the development of our cultural relations. This year, Germany organized its first cultural weeks in Saudi Arabia. People in Riyadh could get a first hand impression about German culture, be it in the field of music or architecture, archeology or literature. Likewise, we see a growing interest in the field of education. German language courses increased considerably in the Kingdom and in Germany we see a continuing strong interest in the study of the Arabic language and Islamic civilization. And finally, academic exchanges between our two nations are growing, which is a good sign for our bilateral relations.
Finally, allow me to extend a warm welcome to the German Vice Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and express my sincere hope and best wishes that our bilateral relations will continue to grow and prosper.
Yours sincerely
Volkmar Wenzel
Ambassador of Germany