RIYADH — On the occasion of the German Unity Day Ambassador Dieter W. Haller and his wife Nissrine Zarrab-Haller hosted a reception at their residence on Wednesday. The joyful and festive event, which was attended by Riyadh Governor Prince Faisal Bin Bandar as a guest of honor, brought together more than 800 dignitaries, businesspeople, academics, artists as well as members of the German community and the Saudi civil society to celebrate another year of vibrant Saudi-German relations.

Following the arrival of the Prince Faisal Bin Bandar and a short private meeting between the ambassador and the prince, the two dignitaries officially opened the reception.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Haller thanked Prince Faisal for his “commitment to make us foreigners feel at home in Riyadh, and we do feel at home and I can assure you that Riyadh under your leadership is becoming an ever more attractive place to live.”

Looking back at a year which has taken bilateral relations to new heights with a visit of Chancellor Merkel in May in Jeddah, he said, “We have been able to add more to our bilateral relations and partnership; we have added strategic content to it and we hope that a number of new avenues for cooperation were pursued during Chancellor Merkel’s recent visit to the Kingdom.”

He went on to extend an invitation to the Saudi society to travel to Germany and explore her cities and culture. “We have seen tens of thousands of Saudis traveling to Germany and finding out for themselves that the united Germany is a culturally diverse country,” explained the ambassador.

Finally, Ambassador Haller underlined the importance of people to people contacts for building a lasting friendship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Germany. In this context, he said, “I would also like to thank my fellow countrymen who are actively engaged in the Kingdom in whatever area of their professions. They all contribute to the German footprint in this country.” — SG