Selma Roth

Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — With the 25-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall around the corner, the German Consulate General here celebrated on Wednesday their country’s national day that commemorates the reunification of Germany on Oct. 3, 1990, in the presence of Saudi officials, German Ambassador Boris Ruge, and other dignitaries as well as German citizens.



“Next year, we’ll celebrate 25 years of unified Germany, but this year, on Nov. 9, it is 25 years that the wall came down — the wall that separated Germany the Federal Republic, from Germany the Democratic Republic,” said Annette Klein, the new German consul general in Jeddah, who took up her post in September.



The celebration had been postponed to November due to the coincidence of the date with Haj, which saw the participation of more than 10,000 pilgrims from Germany.



In light of the current conflicts the region is faced with, she noted that this is “a strong signal of hope” that “we can overcome differences and find mutually acceptable solutions when we set our minds to it.”



Without going into detail, Klein continued saying how the sudden and peaceful fall of the wall and unification of Germany could be an example for the conflict-ridden Middle East region.



“The idea that previously harmed enemies developed mutual trust again, cooperating at first for political and economic reasons, and at a later stage became friends, is very inspiring to me,” the consul general said.



Following her speech, she clarified: “What held true then is true now. It is always essential to build up trust. This is also the solution for current conflicts.”



In this context, Klein expressed her belief in Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to handle today’s struggles in the region: “The prudent and balanced policies of Saudi Arabia under the able and wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud have won the appreciation of the Western world.



“Prudent and balanced policies continue to be essential to the solution of the conflicts currently challenging the region.”



Meanwhile, Klein commended the stronger ties between her country and the Kingdom, whether in the field of politics, economics, commerce, education, technology, or culture.



“As early as in the 60s and 70s, many Saudis went to Germany to complete their education there or at least study for quite some time. They are now back here, and they were kind of a bridge between our two cultures.



“I think it is very important for us to encourage that for Germans to come here and for Saudis to go to Germany in order to make mutual understanding easier.”



In recent years, around 600 Saudis studied in Germany on grants provided under the King Abdullah Scholarship Program.



For the German Consulate in Jeddah, Klein concluded, the two main priorities of cooperation are facilitating the travel of Saudis to Germany and economic relations.



The official part, which included a live performance of the Saudi and German anthems on the electrical guitar, was followed by a concert of Fusion Factory, a Jeddah-based band that plays popular songs integrating Middle Eastern and Western elements, such as khaleeji, Egyptian, shami, blues, jazz, rock, and Persian styles.