German Unity Day celebrated in Manama

By Fatima Al Najem Manama, Oct. 10 (BNA): The German community in Bahrain has celebrated the German Unity Day with joy and commitment for a brighter future. The national anniversary commemorates German reunification in 1990 when the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic were unified. The newly appointed German Ambassador to Bahrain, Clemens Hach who hosted a reception to mark the event confirmed commitment to expanding and boosting relations with Bahrain across various sectors. "We have celebrated this year our 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and these years reflect an ever-growing friendship and excellent relations," he said. "We have a lot of interests in common and good trade relations, which are witnessing growth, so I’m really looking forward to my tenure here and to try to contribute to make these relations even better for the future." The volume of trade exchange between the two countries in 2021 amounted to $ 604,634,045, which made Germany the 21st largest export market for Bahrain, and the 10th largest import market for the Kingdom. German companies have contributed to the progress of Bahrain’s economic through its investors in Healthcare, Energy, Environmental Technologies, Mobility, Digital Economy, and many different sectors. "We have major German companies who created jobs, and those companies have chosen Bahrain as a hub for their trading activities in the region. There is more to do, and this is what we are going to work on for the next couple of years," the diplomat said. Ambassador Hach highlighted Bahrain’s environmental plan that is supported by Germany, especially within the framework of their mutual agreements on climate change . "I think Bahrain has very important goals being carbon neutral by 2060, and I believe Germen companies with their technology should be able to make a great contribution to achieve this goal." In the cultural sector, the regional office of the Goethe-Institut (GI), located in Abu Dhabi, has been responsible for Bahrain since 2006. The cultural events offered by the German embassy in collaboration with Bahraini partner organizations attract considerable interest. German language courses are offered by the embassy, the University of Bahrain (UoB) and the Bahrain School. "We are reaching excellent political and economic relations, and we believe that to have the full picture of our relations, we must focus on the cultural relations too. Bahrain is a country in the region that is extremely rich in its own history, and this history is very little known in Europe and Germany, and I will work on highlighting it," he said. The minister pointed out to the great advantage for foreign students to study in Germany where the education has minimal fees. "I invite Bahrainis to take their time learn German to go study there, Germany is a fantastic option and an economic one," he said.