During the period 4-6 October 2021, the German capital Berlin hosted the activities of the 24th Arab-German Business Forum, with the participation of nearly 250 representatives of Arab and German official authorities, as well as businessmen and specialists from both sides.
At the opening ceremony, Libya's Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, delivered a video speech in which he stressed the importance of the partnership between Libya and Germany, pointing to the challenges that Libya is currently facing. Dbaiba also expressed his thanks for Germany's efforts in the ongoing peace process in his country, which will make Libya able to contribute to stability and reconstruction in the region.
For his part, Dr. Peter Ramsauer, President of Ghorfa, affirmed that "despite the significant impact that the Corona pandemic has had on economies around the world, there are good reasons for optimism about the future, as the Arab-German economic relations are deeply rooted, stable and full with opportunities. Especially that many Arab countries have started huge reform programs to diversify their economies in a sustainable way. These programs include developing the education system, urban development, industrial modernization as well as developing the energy sector. These changes will certainly pave the way for more promising cooperation that Arab countries and Germany will reciprocally benefit from".
Dr. Mustapha Adib, Ambassador of Lebanon and Dean of the Arabic Diplomatic Corps, stressed in his speech at the forum the full support of the members of the Arab diplomatic corps in Germany for the Chamber's work and its efforts to enhance the Arab-German economic cooperation. Adib noted the current global challenges, especially in the Arab region, stressing that despite these great challenges, there are also enormous opportunities for both the Arab and German sides through economic cooperation and balanced partnership.
Andreas Feicht, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, noted in his speech the high demand for German products abroad, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, considering that German companies are among the world's leading companies in the field of energy and technology, especially in the field of hydrogen energy.
Mr. Muhammad Al-Hawij, Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade, considered that the Arab-German economic cooperation is an example to be followed. Stressing that Libya is looking forward to enhancing the contribution of German companies in implementing development projects, especially in light of the improvement in the situation in Libya, the rise in oil prices and its stability, which represents the most important Libyan exports to Germany. Al-Hawij also indicated that the wide Libyan participation in the forum, especially from the private sector, confirms the Libyan desire to enhance cooperation and economic partnership with Germany.
The forum’s program included multiple panels in Arab-German relations, including: Libyan-German cooperation in the energy sector, logistics and transportation: mobility and communication in the Arab world, urban infrastructure and smart cities: reconstruction, sustainable development and modernization of the economy, digitization: how it can lead the industrial revolution Fourth: Diversification in the Arab countries, knowledge transfer: the key to business sustainability and the success of digital transformation, the future of investment and financing in Arab-German economic relations: changing focus and framework, in addition to a special session on the future of Arab-German economic relations.
