The German Embassy plans to celebrate the country’s national day at the end of this month in the Eastern Province.

German Ambassador Dieter W. Haller visited the Eastern Province last Friday to inform the local community and officials of the plan.

“Holding a German National Day celebration in the Eastern Province, like we did in the Saudi capital on Oct. 3, will show we are not leaving out our friends there,” he told Arab News on Saturday.

He said he held discussions with local leaders on improving Saudi-German bilateral relations. Haller said he travels regularly to the Eastern Province on weekends to hold talks “with our Saudi friends who supported us all these years.”

He said the embassy set up a visa application center at the beginning of this year in Al-Khobar so that applicants need not travel to Riyadh.

“I thank Saudi officials for having been very cooperative. They helped us set up the center so that the embassy could facilitate the issuance of visas for travelers going to Germany,” he said.

The German envoy said he held discussions with EP businesspeople to bring in a 25-member trade delegation from Stuttgart in Germany to boost bilateral trade between the two countries.

“The delegation will consist of company representatives from various sectors whose services and products will be mutually beneficial to Saudi Arabia and Germany,” Haller said.