Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The German Consulate here celebrated German Unity Day at Consul General Holger Ziegeler residence on Sunday with officials from other consulates government officials and German expats particiapating.

“The German Unity Day is very emotional for us because Germany had complete separation between the east and west for over 40 years of, and nobody could really foresee that a unification would happen. When it did happen, separated families finally reconnected,” Ziegeler said.

The ceremony began with Ziegeler’s speech, in which he lauded NEOM as a promising project and stressed on their support to the art scene in Saudi Arabia. He highlighted the vist of eight artists, on the mission’s invitation, on a contemporary art tour of Germany in August

He presented a large graffiti wall in the garden of his residence to support arts in Jeddah. The graffiti was made by two Saudi artists nicknamed as Frop&Muso.

Ziegeler said: “We are celebrating Unity Day in Saudi Arabia, when new and exciting developments in the country also call upon the Saudi people to follow a new and exciting future course of developments. It is a big challenge for this country but I hope the country will grab all of these fantastic possibilities, diversifying the economy from the traditional oil economy, women empowerment and they entering the workforce in droves. The best co-workers I had were very intelligent women. It is a good move to allow them to work and drive in Saudi Arabia.”

Ziegeler added: “This is the best time for me and my wife to be present in this country and try to support the developments in the economic, cultural, and scientific areas.”

United States Consul General Matthias Mitman said: “I am very pleased to be here today. I was born in Germany. So German Unity Day has a very special meaning to me as an American, because of my German origins, I am very happy to be here. This is a great event for the diplomatic community and the people in Jeddah and I wish them all the best.”