The German Embassy Riyadh and the German Consulate General in Jeddah are reaching out to the Saudi public with different kinds of cultural activities by organizing the first-ever German Cultural Week. Among the events that took place so far are recitals by German pianist Pavlos Hatzopoulos (in the German Embassy and in the King Fahd Cultural center), an official participation of Germany in the Riyadh International Book Fair and a soccer match between the German National Soccer Team of Writers (“Writers' League for Freedom”) and a team of Saudi journalists. During the visit of the Minister President of the Free State of Bavaria, Dr Beckstein, a Bavarian night including the performance of an authentic brass band took place at the residence of the German Ambassador in Riyadh earlier this month. Upcoming events of the German Cultural Weeks until June are exhibitions on landscape and underwater photography, on the excavations of the German Archeological Institute (DAI) in Saudi Arabia, and on German architecture in the Gulf Region as well as a German Food Festival in Jeddah and an exhibition on illustration of childrens´ books in Riyadh . For a complete list of activities, additional information and reports on past events please visit www.thaqafat-almania.diplo.de . The Kingdom is home to about 1500 German citizens. They are based in Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Jeddah. Several German Companies have branches in Saudi Arabia and business relations are excellent. Germany is Saudi Arabia's third most important trading partner. Apart from the German Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah, there are the German Saudi Arabian Liaison Office for Economic Affairs (GESALO) as well as two German International Schools in Riyadh and Jeddah. Moreover, in the Saudi-German governmental agreement on cultural cooperation that came into effect on April 2, 2006, both nations undertake to extend their cultural collaboration and to support the establishment of cultural institutions of the respective countries. __
