(with photos) BERLIN, June 3 (KUNA) -- German economic officials and their Arab counterparts asserted here Thursday the significance of the visit paid by H.H. the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Germany during last April.
These officials expressed, in the addresses delivered during the 13th German-Arab Business Forum organized by the German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GACIC) here their happiness for this visit made by H.H. the Amir, asserting that it invested ties between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Germany with positive effects and opened up new horizons ushering in optimism and development.
On his part, German Minister of State in the Ministry of Economy and Technology Bernd Pfaffenbach stressed the importance of economic and trade cooperation between his country and the Arab countries, pointing out that exchange of expertise and joint cooperation made a big stride forward.
He also said that this is proved by the exchange of high-level visits, the last of which was the visit paid by H.H. the Amir of Kuwait to Germany and the visit recently paid by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.
Pfaffenbach also deemed meetings between Arab and German sides within the framework of the periodical German-Arab Economic Forum important and necessary gathering on the path of developing joint relations and cooperation.
He also noted the signed agreements between Germany and the Arab countries in the trade and economic fields as an indispensable basis for promoting cooperation in various technical, energy, economic and educational domains as well as in the trade sectors, "not only for Germany, but also for the eurozone as a whole." The German minister spoke highly of the Arab investment in Germany and the corresponding German investment in the Arab region including Kuwait, noting that the global financial crisis did not negatively affect this important sector in what benefited the two sides.
Further, he mentioned the available potentials that ensure overcoming of the financial crisis through joint cooperation between the two sides, adding that Germany is ready to provide expertise in all aspects in order to further this cooperation.
Additionally, a big number of Arab and German officials -- including Chairman of the German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce Thomas Bach, the Chamber's secretary general Abdul-Aziz Al-Makhlafi and Saudi Arabia ambassador to Berlin Osama Al-Shoubshki -- asserted during these meetings their satisfaction with the distinctive time-honored ties between their country and the Arab countries. (end) sh.aff KUNA 032050 Jun 10NNNN