Near and Middle East Economic Handbook.qxd

German Near and Middle east association - Background and development

NUMOV / GerMaN Near aNd Middle eaSt aSSOCiatiON294

Building Plans of the Suez Canal (1855)

German Near and Middle East AssociationBackground and Development


NUMOV / GerMaN Near aNd Middle eaSt aSSOCiatiON 295

Backgroundthe relationship between Germany and the Orientlooks back on a long tradition. as early as 1685, thefirst German explorer, engelbert Kämpfer, visited thecountries of the Middle east and made drawings ofarchaeological sites.

at the time, europeans regarded the Orient as "terraincognita" unknown territory. it was only throughimagination or art that people considered theOrient's great past, its temple ruins, and its gods. areal breakthrough in Oriental-european history wasbrought about by Napoleon's expedition to egypt in1798. after that, a great archaeological and culturalinterest for the Near and Middle east region devel-oped in europe. German scientists quickly succeed-ed in gaining an outstanding position in Orientalstudies. interest in the region and its cultures wasalso spread to the public. Johann Wolfgang vonGoethe's West-east divan, a collection of poems hepublished in 1819, set an important example andbore witness to the lively cultural exchange betweenGermany and the Orient. the archaeologists andartists were soon followed by geographers, geol-ogists, as well as traders. the region gained itsstrategic significance and key role in international

ruins of darius' palace (drawing by the explorer engelbert Kämpfer, 1685)

1685

1798



transport and trade with the opening of the SuezCanal on 17th November, 1869. More than 80,000euro peans, among them many Germans, were liv-ing in egypt as early as 1872.

the concession to build the Baghdad railway, whichthe German industry was granted in 1898, was amile stone in German-Oriental economic relations.On 5th March, 1903, the project was finally agreedupon in Berlin.

First, the tracks ran through the Balkans to istanbul.From the turkish capital, they led to Konya inanatolia. From there, the tracks ran through theextremely craggy Kurdish regions to adana andfrom there to aleppo in Syria.

tracks were then laid from the Syrian commercialmetropolis to Mossul. in 1914, the line was con -tinued to Baghdad. However, the city on the tigriswas only the first destination.

Heinrich a. Meißner Pascha digging the first turf of the Baghdad railway

Heinrich a. Meißner Pascha

(1962 - 1940)

architect of the Hedjaz railway and one

of the founders of the Baghdad railway

1869



From here, the route was to lead to Basra in the verySouth. Basra, which is the port on the Shatt el-arab,was the gateway for transported goods of any kindand provided a direct overland route from theeuropean mainland to the Persian Gulf. Great hopeswere pinned on the Baghdad railway. the First WorldWar, however, led to the destruction of the entire railnetwork. it was not until the 1930s that the work wasresumed. in 1940, the signals were finally set to "go".

the founding of the German Middle east associationoccurred during the period of rapid intensification ofeconomic and political contacts with the Near andMiddle east. With the end of World War i and the dis-integration of the Ottoman empire, there was anatmosphere of awakening in the whole region. Yet itwas anything but easy for the German economy tobecome firmly established in these markets. theorder placed with the German industry in 1898 to buildthe Baghdad railway remained the high point ofGerman economic involvement in the Near east for along time. Various circumstances such as a lack ofcapital and the refusal to issue a letter of indemnity forthe German oil interests represented by thomasBrown in Northern iraq, worked to the benefit ofBritish and italian competitors when the oil conces-sions were awarded. Con se quently, German influ-ence in the region was reduced. Germany's positiondid not improve until German companies got togetherunder the name "industrial iraq Consortium" at thebeginning of the 1930s in order to concentrate theirinterests in the region and be able to represent thempersuasively to the government. Companies such asOtto Wolf (Cologne), Ferrostaal aG (essen),Mannesmann-röhren Werke, and Stahlunion-exportGmbH (düsseldorf) were members of the consortium.Friedrich Krupp aG also showed temporary interest.However, the struggle for economic support from thepart of the government proved to be hard. theabsence of government risk sharing disappointedmany entrepreneurs and led to a high fluctuation with -in the association.


When the German Orient-institute wasfounded in 1960 by NUMOV / GermanNear and Middle east association withits Foundation, the German Orient-Foundation, its goals were outlined asfollows: it was conceived as aninstitution to help promote and cultivatethe relations between the countries ofthe Orient and Germany in all fields ofculture, especially science, art, andcontemporary history. the Foundation'smain aim was to support the activities ofthe German economy in the Middle eastby delivering scientific know-how. thiscombination between business, scienceand research is still of high relevance asit facilitates research, information anddocumentation from more than oneperspective.

the founder and the institute acknowl-edge the professional and institutionalre-organisation of the German Orient-institute while it remains under theumbrella of the German Orient-Foundation. it focuses on regionalresearch in the Near and Middle east.Furthermore, it aims at helping to estab-lish a lasting dialogue betweenGermany and the islamic world,strengthening cooperation with inter-national research institutes like the Gulfresearch Center as well as partners allover the world. the Members of theBoard as well as the Members of theBoard of trustees, are highly respectedpersonalities active in science, politicsand economics, reflecting the institute'sambitions to deal with future challengesin the most scientific, professional andinnovative manner. For further informa-tion please visit the German Orient-institute's website.

Contact:

Kronenstr. 1, d - 10117 Berlin, Germanytel. +49 30 / 206410-21 - Fax. +49 30 / 206410-29www.deutsche-orient-stiftung.de - [email protected] - [email protected]

The German Orient-Foundation and its German Orient-InstituteA leading scientific authority between a great tradition and

a promising future



Founding of the Associationthe idea of creating an institution concerned witheconomic and cultural relations with the countriesof the Near and Middle east had been discussedsince the beginning of the 1920s. the economicrelations and research in the region that had beeninterrupted during World War i were graduallyrecovering, and the interest in these countrieswas rising steadily. especially when many compa-nies got into difficulties due to the world econom-ic crises at the end of the 1920s, Germany's econ-omy looked for ways to stimulate economic activ-ity. the "Orient" offered interesting prospects forthat.

there were many opportunities for Germany andthe countries of the arabic-islamic world to com-plement each other in various ways. With itsalready highly developed science and technologyas well as its skilled workers, Germany was ableto export non-monetary capital, equipment andknow-how.

the countries of the Orient on the other hand pos-sessed raw materials, primarily cotton, indian rub-ber, oil, copper as well as manganese and chromeores, tropical fruits, rice, spices, tobacco, coffee,and tea.

the idea of founding an association concernedwith the countries of the Orient goes back to lead-ing economic figures.

the initiative of founding the association wasbased on private-sector interests. the name"Middle East Association" ("Orient-Verein”)was chosen.



the first meeting concerning the founding of aGerman Orient association was held on 26th

March 1934, on the premises of the"Mitteleuropäischer Wirtschaftstag" (Middleeuropean economic Council). Whereas Germanattempts to build up economic relations with theOrient were formerly limited to single countries, thefounding of the Middle east association was meantto concentrate German economic interests in theregion.

One of the main tasks of the association was toimprove export opportunities for German companiesinto the countries of the Orient. the value of goodsGermany imported from the Orient by far exceededGerman exports into the region. Promoting export,however, required the communication of informationthat, until then, was not available. the official newsagency WtB did not have a single independent cor-respondent in the whole Orient. For that reason, thenew association was intended to become a hub ofinformation with its publications and events.

1934

301NUMOV / GerMaN Near aNd Middle eaSt aSSOCiatiON


The formation of the German Middle EastAssociation took place in Berlin, Jägerstraße 2-3,on 30th May 1934.

Dr. Hermann Reyss, the Manager of Siemens inBerlin, was elected as first Chairman of theassociation.

First Vice-Chairman:dr. ruperti, allianz, Berlin

Second Vice-Chairman:dr. Max Hahn, Mitteleuropäischer Wirtschaftstag,deutsche Gruppe, Berlin

Further Members of the Board:

§ dr. Martin Blank, Gutehoffnungshütte und MaNaG, Berlin

§ Generaldirektor (Managing director) dr. diehn

§ dr. phil. h.c. Hans draeger, arbeitsausschussdeutscher Verbände (Study group of German organisations), Berlin

§ dr. Heinrich Gattineau, i.G. Farbenindustrie aG,Berlin

§ Gustav Gerber, Wirtschaftsgruppe Mälzerei,Berlin

§ admiral ret. Walter Gladitsch, Geschäftsführender Vizepräsident desdeutschen ausland-Clubs (Managing Vice-President of the German Foreign-Club), Berlin

§ ernst Godeffroy, deutsche levante linie,Hamburg

§ Oskar r. Henschel, Henschel & Sohn aG, Kassel

dr. Hermann reyss

Jägerstraße 2-3, Berlintoday the mission of theFree and Hanseatic City ofHamburg to the Federalrepublic of Germany



§ dr. Herle

§ dr. phil. Fritz Hesse, director, deutschesNachrichtenbüro (German News agency), Berlin

§ Generaldirektor (Managing director)dr. jur. erich Katter, Schenker & Co. GmbH, Berlin

§ regierungsrat a.d. (retired Civil Servant) Krahmer-Möllenberg

§ Max lindemann, lindemann & Co., Freiburg

§ Baurat (Government Building Officer)ernst Martens, Julius Berger tiefbau aG, Berlin

§ Prof. dr. Friedrich Sarre, Neubabelsberg

§ dr. phil. Hans Schippel, dresdner Bank

§ director dr. M. Schlenker, deutsche Verkehrs-Kredit-Bank aG, Berlin

§ dr. rer. pol. Wilhelm Steinberg, Vereindeutscher eisen- und Stahlindustrieller (association of German iron and Steel industrialists), düsseldorf

§ Kommerzienrat (Commercial Counsillor) Hermann Waibel, i.G. Farbenindustrie aG, Frankfurt a.M.

§ dr. jur. Kurt Weigelt, deutsche Bank unddisconto-Gesellschaft, Berlin

§ landrat a.d. (retired district administrator) dr. h.c. tilo Freiherr von Wilmowsky, Krupp aG



§ director Wronsky, deutsche lufthansa, Berlin

§ director dr.-ing. h.c. eugen Vögler, Hochtief aG,essen

the German Middle east association was recordedin the register of associations in Berlin-Charlottenburg (abt. 95, Br. 7713). the final versionof the statute as of 30th May 1934, stipulated that theheadquarters of the German Middle eastassociation should be in Berlin. its office was locat-ed at Schöneberger Ufer 39.



the declared goal was to promote – on a non-profitbasis – Germany's economic and cultural relationswith the Orient.

at the beginning, the association's activities werefocused mainly on the following countries:afghanistan, egypt, British-india, iraq, Saudi arabia,Palestine, trans-Jordan, turkey, Ceylon, Persia,Syria/lebanon.

it was left up to the board to decide on the expan -sion of the association's field of activity to includemore countries of the Orient. Four years later on 21st

November 1938, the statute was amended toinclude the arabian Peninsula and Cyprus.

the association was funded by its members. its fullmembers were made up of companies and corpora-tions with head offices in Germany as well asGerman citizens.

Companies, corporations and individuals – whowere either not German or resident outsideGermany – with an interest in promoting economicand cultural relations between Germany and theOrient, could become extraordinary members.extraordinary members did not have the right tovote at general meetings. Personalities who madegreat contri butions in favour of German-Orientalrelations could be appointed honorary members ofthe association.

Statute and Goals ofthe Association



in the first year, dr. Fritz Hesse was the executivemember of the board. He was succeeded by dr.Hermann Schneider from 1935 until december 1937whose place was finally taken by dr. reinhardHüber in 1940.

the work of the association soon reached such adimension that it was impossible to continue on avoluntary basis as had originally been planned. thatis why the management was handed over to inde-pendent entrepreneurs.

Shortly after its founding, the association alreadyhad 51 full members and 169 extraordinary mem-bers.

Over the years, special committees were set up todeal with individual countries. On 13th July 1934, theeconomic committee of the German Middle eastassociation was established. State CouncillorWiegand agreed to take over the chairmanship andappointed the following gentlemen to the committee:

§ Prof. dr. Sarre, Persia and afghanistan

§ Prof. dr. Kühnel, the arab countries

§ Prof. dr. Süders, india

§ Prof. dr. Schaefer, egypt

§ Prof. dr. Schnaeder, Oriental philology

§ Prof. dr. andrae, assyrian-Babylonian excavations

§ State Councillor Wiegand himself was entrusted with turkey and Greece.

dr. reinhard Hüber



the scientific committee of the German Middle eastassociation was already able to draw attention justshortly after its founding. the association organisedan event celebrating the 1000th anniversary of thePersian national poet Firdosii in the archaeologicalinstitute of Berlin, Germany. the event was radio-broadcast to iran and was met with great interest.the association’s work also managed to attract theattention of other countries of the Orient.

From October 1934 until February 1935, the scien-tific committee of the German Middle eastassociation organized a series of lectures at theBerlin University called "German research on theOrient, its present significance and tasks". Besidesthis, the association provided 3,000 gold marks tosupport the publication of a book depicting the col-lection of turkish and islamic works of art intschinili-Köschk, istanbul. the book was publishedin 1938 by de Gruyter Verlag, Berlin-leipzig.

On 29th april 1936, dr. Hesse set up the German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce. Privy councillorHans Flach was appointed president. it joined theranks of previously existing bilateral organisationsand, above all, engaged in the economic exchangebetween both countries. in that first year, it managedto arrange an order for a German-iranian/ iranian-German dictionary. and within just a short period oftime the Chamber – thanks to its expertise and com-mitment – played a leading role in reaching lucrativeagreements between German industry and iran.

The German-IranianChamber of Commerce



the Middle east association fulfilled the main part ofits task of providing information through regular pub-lications.

as political events were to be dealt with only as faras they were of relevance to understanding eco-nomic processes, the first thought was to publish ajournal entitled "economic announcements for theMiddle east".

However, in 1934, the year of foundation, the firstjournal of the association had the title"Announcements of the German Middle EastAssociation/Orient Chronicle". the first issueappeared on 3rd November 1934, and was the infor-mation organ of the German-turkish organisa-tion,the egyptian Chamber of trade in Germany, and theGerman-iranian society.

after renaming the journal to "Orient News"(Orient-Nachrichten) in 1935, it already appearedbi-weekly from June 1937 onward. as of 1940, it wasentitled "the Near east" (der Nahe Osten) andappeared monthly. initially, dr. Fritz Hesse was theeditor. He was then succeeded by dr. reinhardHüber as executive member of the board.

"The Near East" dealt with a wide range of topics.articles on culture, politics and society were addedto current economic news and background reports.

Publications



Many important scholars of the time seized theopportunity to publish articles in the journal, as mat-ters of the modern Middle east were rarely treatedat the universities at that time – except for the"Seminar for Oriental languages" in Berlin.

as of 1934 there was an increase in German eco-nomic activity in the Orient, especially in turkey andiran. the German Middle east association had beenfounded at the right time. Many disappointed entre-preneurs from the iraq Consortium found newopportunities to promote their economic interestsmaking a concerted effort. the members of theassociation knew how to take full advantage of newideas and entrepreneurial zest in the Near east. inthe course of the 1930s there was a significantincrease in the transfer of goods with countries suchas turkey and iran. From 1936 to 1938 exports toturkey almost doubled to 151.4m reichs mark.exports to iran rose by 30%, from 30.4m to 46.3mreichsmark in the same period. Germany was soonranked third in trade with egypt, behind the "old"colonial powers england and France.

First successes in Orient trade



Re-foundation of the Associationin 1950

at the end of the Second World War, a change inboth the political and the economic situation hadtaken place that not only affected europe, but theentire Near and Middle east as well.

this new beginning urgently required the resump tionof business that had been interrupted due to theSecond World War. this made dr. e. J. ruperti, theformer Vice-Chairman and one of the founders ofthe German Middle east association, work towardsreviving the association in 1949. according to him,such an association was of great importance, espe-cially for smaller companies.

On 1st February 1950, a number of personalities metto establish the "Near and Middle east association"(NUMOV) as the successor of the German Middleeast association. Many of them were from Hamburgand some of them had already been former mem-bers of the association in Berlin.

the founding meeting of the Near and Middle eastassociation (NUMOV) was held in the atlantic Hotelin Hamburg on 10th May 1950. those present were:

ernst Godeffroy, deutsche levante-linieHans e.B. Kruse, Wiechers & Helm, HamburgWerner Krogmann, Wachsmuth & Krogmann,HamburgUdo Bey, Gustav Bey, HamburgWalther Baron de Bouché, Verlag Walther deBouché, HamburgHans H. ruperti, J.H. Bolland & Co. GmbH,HamburgWilhelm Berkop, Schenker & Co. GmbH, Hamburgdr. Siegfried roggenbuck, Hamburger Kreditbank,Hamburg

ernst Godeffroy

"Orient" becomes"Near and Middle East"



the meeting decided to approve the former statutethat was essentially still applicable and to re-establish the association, appointing ernstGodeffroy chairman according to § 26 BGB.

the new statute stipulated that the headquarters ofthe Near and Middle east association be inHamburg. Hamburg, as a gateway to the world, wasa good choice when the association was re-estab -lished in 1950. the goal of the association wasbased on the old statute: to help promote Germaneconomic relations with the Near and Middle east ona non-profit basis. religious and political goals wereexpressly excluded; cultural activities such as publiclectures were also provided for in the new statute.the association's field of activity included: egypt,afghanistan, Ceylon, india, Greece, iraq, israel,Jordan, lebanon, Pakistan, Persia (iran), Saudiarabia, Syria, turkey.

the re-establishment was recorded in the register ofassociations in Hamburg on 8th July 1950. the offices were first located at 15 Ballindamm, tem-porarily in the stock exchange, and from 1953 until2000 at Mittelweg 151. Since 2000, the headquar-ters of the association have been at Großetheaterstraße 1 near the inner alster. in 2002, theNear and Middle east association established a rep-resentative office in Jägerstraße, Berlin-Mitte, thusreturning to the place of its foundation.

entry in the register ofassociations



The Fifties and Sixtiesthe association started publishing "expressinformation from the Near and Middle east" on 1st

May 1950, and soon added the "NUMOV-Circulars".Both publications included news about theassociation as well as extensive economic inform-ation on the Near and Middle east region and werethus unparalleled and indispensable.

Furthermore, the Near and Middle east associationwas the co-editor of the "Overseas review" until1960 – and then again from 1972 – along with theafrica-association, the ibero-america-association,and the east asia association. in addition, the Nearand Middle east association also published specialcirculars, special publications and, above all, anannual report that summarized information on eco-nomic developments and facts concerning the coun-tries the association was dealing with.

the association developed very rapidly. the team ofthe executive board member, Hüber, could hardlykeep pace with the growing amount of tasks. in1951, the association already had 169 members.

apart from the general meetings, "Near and MiddleEast Days" were organised annually and constitut-ed an important forum for German companies withan interest in the region. the representatives of thecompanies could receive information and exchangeviews on the latest developments in the region.

at the beginning of december 1952 the "German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce" was revived. itsheadquarters and staff where those of the Near andMiddle east association until 1998.

1950

1952



Cultural exchange between Germany and the coun-tries of the arab world was broadened when, inJanu ary 1953, the German Protestant School inCairo which had been founded 1873 was reopenedunder the name "Goethe institut". Offering Germanlanguage courses and organizing cultural events topromote mutual understanding was the very goal ofthe institute. additional branches were opened inquick succession in the Orient: Beirut (1954),damascus (1955), tehran (1958), izmir andBaghdad (1959), alexandria, Basra, Khartoum(1960), istanbul and amman (1961).

dr. h.c. alfred toepfer, a businessman fromHamburg, succeeded ernst Godeffroy as chairmanof the Near and Middle east association in 1954.

the association attracted an increasing number ofvisitors from abroad, among them ministers, diplo-mats and journalists. at the same time, cooperationwith the Federal Government could be strength-ened. representatives of the Near and Middle eastassociation were received by Chancellor Konradadenauer, and Prof. dr. ludwig erhard, FederalMinister of economics, gave a speech on a Nearand Middle east day.

the Near and Middle east association achievedgreat success in 1956 with its exhibition "Near andMiddle east – then and now", which took place inHamburg from 29th September until 14th October1956. it was the first event of its kind that led theGerman public to examine the tradition of German-Oriental relations on a cultural and economic basis.the large number of visitors clearly demonstrated tothe countries of the arabic-islamic world the extentof interest in Germany.

the supporting programme offered various opportu-nities to get in contact with important decision-mak-ers who had accepted the invitation.

dr. h.c. alfred toepfer

1953

1956



among the high-ranking visitors from the regionwere the Head of exchange Control from Cairo,Hassan Zaki, a delegation from Kabul with thePresident of the Ministry of Finance, Mohammedasef Popol, as well as Fakir ahmad ludin. FromBaghdad: the then Permanent Secretary of theMinistry of trade, dr. Hamid al-Hilali, and theMinister of economic affairs dr. ali as-Safi. Fromiran: the then Permanent Secretary of the Ministry oftrade, dr. Fazlollah Moschaver. From tehran: a del-egation of the Chamber of Commerce led by thethen Vice-President, Mohammed reza Kharrasi.From lebanon: Member of Parliament raymondeddé. From Pakistan: director General for Oil, K. a.Waheed. From damascus: the Head of thedepartment of economy of the Syrian ForeignMinistry, Said raad. From ankara: Member ofParliament Nurullah ihsan tolon, who was at thesame time private secretary to the President.Hassan Fakoussa from Cairo represented the arableague.

all the arab countries belonging to the field of activ-ity of the Near and Middle east association wereunited under one roof. altogether some 5,500 peo-ple visited the 14-day exhibition. the countriesthemselves were also inspired and motivated to pre-sent themselves abroad, setting up their own exhibi-tions to advertise themselves.

On 1st October 1958, dr. ernst a. Messerschmidtsucceeded dr. reinhard Hüber, the executiveMember of the Board who had served in his post formany years. dr. Messerschmidt contributed to thesuccess of the association in an exceptional way.the Near and Middle east association became thelargest of all associations in Hamburg under hismanagement. He remained managing director untilhis death in 1971. dr. ernst a. Messerschmidt

1958



the establishment of the German Orient-Foundation in 1960, meant a crucial expansion ofthe activities of the Near and Middle eastassociation. the German Orient-institute was estab -lished under the roof of the German Orient-Foundation and, under the management of dr.Messerschmidt, soon developed into a leading insti-tution in Germany dealing with issues concerningthe modern Orient.

the statute of the German Orient Foundation wasapproved by the Senate of Hamburg on 8th May1960. the foundation ceremony took place in theatlantic Hotel in Hamburg on 14th June 1960.dr. h.c. toepfer, the Chairman of the Near andMiddle east association, outlined the goals of thefoundation. it was meant to help promote and culti-vate the relations between the countries of theOrient and Germany in all fields of culture, espec-ially art, science, and present day history. For thispurpose, an irreplaceable collection of journals andnewspapers as well as a library was created thatnow contains around 33,000 books and 230 period-icals. Since the 1960’s, the collection has beenexpanded by 50 daily and weekly newspapers aswell as regular press releases, of which half are inthe languages of the countries of the Middle east.

the first election of the board took place in theatlantic Hotel in Hamburg on 16th June 1960. Bankerdr. rudolf Brinckmann became Chairman of theBoard. Further Board Members were dr. alfredtoepfer, dr. ernst a. Messerschmidt, ambassadorHans C. Podeyn (ret.), and dr. ernst-Justus ruperti.they co-opted Prof. dr. h.c. Fritz Baade from Kiel.the constituent assembly of the board of trusteestook place in Bonn on 29th November 1960. SenatorHeinrich landahl (ret.) took on the presidency.Former German ambassador to Pakistan, Hans C.Podeyn, became President of the German Orient-institute. He was succeeded by ambassador Herbert

1960

Establishment of theGerman Orient

Foundation



German Near and Middle EastAssociation

HamburgFounding Chairman: dr. h.c a. toepfer

Founding CeO: dr. Messerschmidt

German-Iranian Chamber ofCommerceHamburg

President: dr. r BrinckmannCeO: dr. Messerschmidt

Country Committees:aFGHaNiStaN: Mr MohsaraB COUNtrieS: dr. GrobbairaN: Franz G. BuschmannPaKiStaN: H.C. PodeyntUrKeY: H. Janssen

GERMAN ORIENT-FOUNDATIONHamburg

Founding Boarddr. h.c. a. toepferdr. Messerschmidtdr. r Brinckmannambassador H.C. PodeynProf. dr. B. SpulerProf. dr. K- Schillerdr. ernst-Justus ruperti

GERMAN ORIENT-INSTITUTEHamburg

responsible for preparatory work:ambassador (ret.)Hans C. Podeyn

„ORIENT“(Magazine) Hamburg

roeper Verlag dr. Hahneditors: Milli Bau

u. dr. Messerschmidt

JOINT FORUMS:Pakistani-GermanForumBad Godesberg

ORGANISATION PLANof German Orient Institutions

1960

arabic-GermanForumBad Godesberg

Copy and translation of an original from the German Near and Middle east association dating from the year 1960



1983German-Egyptian Economic Councilin cooperation with the egyptian Businessmens’s association

1985Saudi-German Businessmen’s Dialogue in the framework of theGerman-Saudi Joint Economic Commissioncoordinated together with the SaudiMinistry of economics and Finance

2006Emirati German Friendship Society

1998German-Yemenite Forum

2000Federation of European Middle East Business Associations

2000qatar German Business Forum

2001NUMOV Junior Section

2001NUMOV Senior Consultants Section

German Near and Middle EastAssociation Publications

economic Forum Near and Middle eastQatar - German - Business - Forumthe United arab emirates in Focusiranian - German - Business - ForumMoroccan - German - Business - Forumeconomic Forum Near and Middle east Special edition israelNear and Middle east economic HandbookNUMOV-direCtOrY of German Companies in the Near and Middle eastiraQi GerMaN BUSiNeSS dialOGUe

Further organisations founded by NUMOV / German Near and Middle East Association since 1960 - today

2010IRAqI GERMAN BUSINESS DIALOGUE



richter (ret.) who left office on 5th February 1976.after that, the position of president was abolished.

the statute of the German Orient-Foundation basi-cally stipulates the purpose of the Foundation andthe Orient institute as well as the nomination of theBoard and the Board of trustees. the nominationwas mainly carried out by the board of the Near andMiddle east association. economic support is pro-vided by the Foreign Ministry and the Free andHanseatic City of Hamburg.

With the establishment of the German Orient-institute in 1960, the Near and Middle eastassociation also published the "Orient News"/ "theNear east" under its new title "Orient".

the press section was expanded significantly. Since1967, there have been regular reports on personal-ities of the Near and Middle east in the "Who'sWho" section. reviews of books and scientific arti-cles were added. economic reports were the mainpart of the publication. Furthermore, issues con-cerning politics, art, and society were taken up.Some of the contributions were written by staff of theassociation. there were also many reports editedby guest authors such as academics, economicexperts, journalists, and explorers. the increasingnumber of requests to place advertisements in thejournal signi fied its wide acceptance.

in 1964, the Near and Middle east association re -ceived its first opportunity to send two representa -tives of the technical-economic service toPakistan and turkey on behalf of the FederalMinister of economic Cooperation and develop -ment. these representatives were dr. ing. GeorgFischoeder and dr. Heinz Migeod. their task was toevaluate current German development aid and tolook for possibilities for new missions and projects.

1964

1968

By taking advantage of the associations’s contactsto German companies and the knowledge they hadgained about the development potential of the coun-tries of the Middle east through many years of business experience, the aim was to significantlyimprove the effectiveness of development aid in theregion. in the second half of the 1960s the re-estab-lishment of the Near and Middle east associationwas completed. its field of activity included allcountries between egypt, turkey, and Pakistan.there was a break in 1965 when the Federalrepublic of Germany opened a diplomatic missionin israel. in response, ten arab countries, amongthem iraq, egypt, Saudi arabia, Jordan, and Kuwaitclosed down their diplomatic missions in Germany.re-establishing relations took many years. duringthis period the activities of the association were ofgreat importance as it managed to promote Germaneconomic interests and cultivate important relationsdespite the restrictions imposed on the German mis-sions abroad.

On 1st May 1966, the department "Central Office ofdocumentation" of the German Orient institute start-ed working as a member of the "Max Planck institutefor documentation" in Frankfurt/Main. right up tothe present day, the central office continues to pro-vide bibliographical information of all kinds. its workis an indispensable help in dealing with economic,scientific and research issues. in November 1968,the first German business delegation visited Kuwaitand Saudi arabia. in March 1971, another businessdelegation travelled to Bahrain, Qatar, abu dhabi,Oman and dubai. Both delegations had beenplanned and organised by the Near and Middle eastassociation in cooperation with the Federation ofGerman industries. the delegation in 1968 was ledby dipl.-ing. H. Knipping, member of the board of thecompany Philipp Holzmann aG. the delegation in1971 was led by Herbert e. Wenzel, longstandingboard member of the Near and Middle eastassociation.

1965





The Seventies and Eightiesdr. ernst a. Messerschmidt who had been the excutive Board Member of the Near and Middle eastassociation since 1958 died on 18th October 1971.the combination of functions of the management ofthe Near and Middle east association and theGerman Orient-institute ended when he died.

in addition to the division of work that was intro-duced at that time, a cooperation agreement wasreached. the Board and the Board of trustees of theGerman Orient-institute remained the managing andsupervisory organs of the institute. they wereappointed by the Near and Middle east association.as a result, the institute was in charge of the journal"Orient" in 1973. it was entitled "Journal of theGerman Orient-institute" in association with theGerman Overseas institute, founded by the Nearand Middle east association.

the institute has been headed by Prof. dr. UdoSteinbach since 1976. dr. Christoph von derdecken, dresdner Bank aG, and dr. HansKippenberger, deutsche Bank aG, were Chairmen ofthe Board for many years. Parliamentary StateSecretary dr. Volkmar Köhler (ret.) held thePresidency of the Board of trustees for many years.

Hans-Otto thierbach, Member of the Board ofdeutsche Bank aG, Frankfurt/Main, succeeded dr.h.c. alfred toepfer as Chairman of the Near andMiddle east association on 26th april 1973. rochusFreiherr von lüttwitz was the executive BoardMember of the association and the German-iranianChamber of Commerce from 1971 until 1989.

Because they brought leading business executiveswith years of experience in utterly different fields gottogether, the country committees of the Near andMiddle east association proved to be an excellentforum to exchange foreign trade knowledge.

1971

Hans-Otto thierbach

rochus Freiherr von lüttwitz



in the same year Germany sent its Federal Ministerof economics to Saudi arabia for the first time ever.He was accompanied by a large delegation of lead-ing representatives of trade and industry. Hans-Ottothierbach, the new Chairman of the Near and Middleeast association, participated in the delegation toJeddah and riyadh on behalf of the association.Finally, in 1975 the first conference of the German-Saudi Mixed economic Commission took place.Saudi arabia had become an important partner in theMiddle east.

in december 1977, then Federal Chancellor HelmutSchmidt travelled to Cairo. He assured PresidentSadat of his support for his peace initiative for theMiddle east. in connection with this trip, the FederalGovernment of Germany agreed to raise the guaran-tee limit for exports to egypt. Besides this, there werenegotiations about an increase in German capital aidbased on volume of trade. Being the focus ofGerman development aid, egypt had been grantedcredits of 1.1 billion deutschmarks and aid in techni-cal cooperation of 340 million deutsch marks until theend of 1976.

the number of companies operating on the marketsof the Near and Middle east rose steadily. theassociation promoted the continously increasinginvolvement of German companies in the countriesof the region and also supported their business activ-ities in various ways. the association opened a rep-resentative office in Bonn to facilitate communicationwith government departments, embassies, the mediaand other associations in the capital. during theseyears representing their member companies at homeand abroad became a substantial task of the Nearand Middle east association.

Chancellor Helmut Schmidt's second visit to Saudiarabia within five years emphasized the great impor-tance of the kingdom as an economic and politicalpartner. Saudi arabia was not just a trading partner,

Helmut Schmidt and anwar al Sadat

1977

1981



but had also gained significance in terms of Germandirect investments and as a customer of varioushuge industrial and infrastructural projects.

Contacts with iraq were strengthened at the begin-ning of the 1980s. in November 1981, the Near andMiddle east association sent a business delegationto the oil-rich country on the tigris. represen tativesof member companies, the Federal Ministry ofeconomics, and the German Orient institute trav-elled to Baghdad under the leadership of the chair-man of the Near and Middle east association. itbecame apparent that iraq would become the mostimportant buyer of German goods and services inthat year. the contacts made with state-ownedtrading associations during the trip resulted in theco operation of the Near and Middle eastassociation and the iraqi Chamber of Commerce.

there were also new impulses regarding turkey.the Near and Middle east association received ahigh-ranking turkish business delegation in 1981.turkey's new course relating to economic policywas received positively and a large number ofturkish companies sought cooperation withGerman companies.

the egyptian Businessmen association, the um -brella association of the egyptian private sector,and the Near and Middle east association agreedupon setting up the German-egyptian economicCouncil. the task of the institution was to organizeannual discussions for businessmen in order toachieve closer economic cooperation and reduceexisting obstacles.

an industrial and banking delegation travelled toturkey under the leadership of the association’sChairman in april. Within just under three years, thecountry's new economic policy had led to re -markable successes such as the consolidation ofpublic finances, a tripling of the volume of exports,

1983


and a balancing of the balance of payments. in jointly organized events with the tOBB (Union ofturkish Chambers of Commerce, industry, andMaritime trade, and Commodity exchanges) moreintensive cooperation was pursued.

the year ended with the first conference of theGerman-egyptian economic Council in Cairo.almost 100 businessmen from both countries gathered during the two day event. the topics dis-cussed were joint investments in agriculture, in -dustry and the service sector as well as the promo-tion of egyptian exports. the countries' efforts toexport from the region to the countries of theeuropean Community and other markets becameincreasingly significant. the countries of the Middleeast were less and less willing to accept the increas-ing unfavourable balance of trade.

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Chairman Burkhard Dahmen, CEO Helene Rang, Honorary Chairman Gerhard Schröder,

Former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany

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the official ceremony on 6th September 1984, whichbegan with the general meeting was the highlight ofthe 50th anniversary.

in the presence of the Federal President, dr. richard von Weizsäcker, who was accompaniedby his wife Marianne, the board of the associationhad the honour to welcome almost 900 German andforeign members and guests from Germany andabroad in the Congress Centre of Hamburg.

a gala dinner attracted numerous members of theassociation, representatives of various organi -sations and guests. during the event, high-rankinggovernment representatives presented papers onhow to strengthen the already existing cooperationbetween Germany and the countries of the regionand to find new fields of cooperation.

dr. richard von Weizsäcker

(f.l.t.r.:) Mohammad imady, President of the arab Fundfor Social and economic development, Hans-Ottothierbach, Chairman of the Near and Middle eastassociation, Klaus Michael Kühne, Vice-Chairman ofthe Near and Middle east association

1984



the papers presented by Federal Foreign MinisterHans-dietrich Genscher, turkish Prime Ministerturgut Özal, and the President of the arab Fund forSocial and economic development, His excellencyMohammed imady, all conveyed the political andeconomic significance of the Middle east region. asan internationally recognized foreign trade organi -sation, the Near and Middle east association hasalways communicated the interests and proposals ofits partners in the region to the public in Germanyand at the same time, has made the efficiency of theGerman industry more visible.

the association's success was also reflected in itsmembership numbers. in the year of its 50th anniver-sary the association welcomed its 500th member.

Hans-Otto thierbach and dr. richard von Weizsäcker

Hans-dietrich Genscher

turgut Özal



the report system of the association has been con-tinously extended. By 1986, there were four countrycommittees in Berlin, Hamburg, and Frankfurt wheremembers met to exchange information and shareexperiences. another focal point of the associationwas the initiation, organisation, and further expan -sion of regular bilateral discussion groups. in thismanner business partners from both sides had theopportunity to establish and strengthen importantcontacts. at a meeting of the German-egyptianeconomic Council in düsseldorf, for example, morethan 120 business representatives from both coun-tries had the opportunity to discuss ways of co -operation in the fields of industry, trade, tourism, andagriculture. a German-Saudi entrepreneurial dis -cussion group which offered attractive projects ofcooperation, especially to medium-sized Germancompanies, convened for the first time.

Members of the Board and the management wererepeatedly appointed to posts in delegations andeconomic committees. among the organisations thatdealt with the promotion of foreign trade, the Nearand Middle east association was in great demandas a partner which was oriented specifically towardsthe peculiarities and requirements of the Near andMiddle east region.

From 1984 until 1989, Saudi arabia remained one ofthe main focuses of the association.

at that time, the kingdom had made a great steptowards modernity and turned increasingly to theWestern industrial nations for technological and con-sultative know-how. in 1985, the Saudi deputyMinister of industry visited Hamburg as a guest ofthe Near and Middle east association. New startingpoints for cooperation arose from the encounter.they were taken up by the management to be con-tinued the following december in riyadh. Within the



context of the German-Saudi Mixed economicCommission, the so-called Saudi-GermanBusiness men's Dialogue was established andcoordinated by the Saudi arabian Ministry ofFinance and economics and NUMOV / Near andMiddle East Association and was intended toimprove the framework for bilateral economic rela-tions. the association also helped organize an exhi-bition in Germany about the Saudi arabian capitalriyadh. the exhibition, which was shown inCologne, Stuttgart, and Hamburg, vividly portrayedthe architectonic and urban development of riyadh.there were more than one million visitors to theexhibition. in autumn 1987, the management of theassociation attended a meeting of the German-Saudi Mixed economic Commission in riyadh whichwas headed by the Ministers of economics of bothcountries. On this occasion, the group of business -men that had come together in the Businessmen'sdialogue received the opportunity to extensively dis-cuss current possibilities for cooperation.

the combination of government representatives andrepresentatives of the private sector in the mixedcommissions enabled the business community todirectly campaign for their interests. On the occa sionof a conference on the premises of Bayerischelandesbank in Munich, German and Saudibusiness men met again in 1988 to hold bilateraltalks. the event provided insight for German com-panies into projects presented by Saudi companies.the main focus was on technology and new ways ofcooperation.

New foundations could also be laid with regard toeconomic cooperation with turkey. the new govern-ment, headed by turgut Özal, proved eager to inten-sify the consolidation of the turkish economy. thiswas demonstrated by the conclusion of the secondconference of the German-turkish mixed economiccommission in 1984: For the first time since 1975, itseemed reasonable to both governments to discuss

1988



ways of strengthening bilateral economic relations ina special commission. the most important result ofthe meeting was an agreement concerning doubletaxation. an Economic Seminar on Turkey held inFrankfurt provided further impulses for the econom-ic exchange with turkey.

in the 1980s, egypt played an important role for theNear and Middle east association. Since the 1960s,the country had been one of the most important arabbuyers of German goods. On assuming office in1981, President Mubarak continued the policy ofopenness introduced by his predecessor Sadat. thelocation on the Nile became increasingly attractivefor German companies. the Near and Middle eastassociation supported the lively economic ex -change: in November 1984, the German-egyptianeconomic Commission, which was estab lished bythe Near and Middle east association met inCologne. after an investment seminar by the deGwhich was attended by more than 100 German busi-ness representatives, the egyptian delegation con-sisting of 40 companies met new German partnersat the Klöckner-Humboldt-deutz aG (KHd, a mem-ber of the Near and Middle east association) to dis-cuss individual projects. tourism in egypt wasanother topic of the Near and Middle eastassociation. at the suggestion of the association,the investment conference "development of tourismin egypt" came into being in cooperation with theCarl duisberg Centre in Cologne and the German-arab Chamber of Commerce in Cairo. the confer-ence of the German-egyptian economicCommission (GeCeC) in Cairo in November 1987was another important event concerning German-egyptian economic relations. the conferences of theGeCeC, which were attended by government repre-sentatives responsible for economic affairs in egypt,made an important contribution to bilateral coopera-tion. in addition, GeCeC increasingly became anassembly point to forge new business partnerships.



the work of the Near and Middle east associationfor German-egyptian economic relations also re -ceived official recognition. On the occasion ofegyptian President Hosni Mubarak's state visit toGermany in March 1989 representatives of the Nearand Middle east association were received as well.

the end of the first Gulf War between iraq and iranin 1988 stimulated relations between the countriesof the region and German companies. Visits by var-ious delegations of high-ranking governmental andeconomic representatives demonstrated the hugeinterest in cooperation with German companies.German companies showed great interest in takingpart in the reconstruction after the ceasefire betweeniraq and iran. the Near and Middle east associationtook part in numerous events of various chambers ofindustry and commerce as well as trade associa-tions. in November, it arranged its own conferenceconcerning iran hosting more than 300 participants.together with German industrial representatives, theBoard of the German-iranian Chamber ofCommerce and that of the Near and Middle eastassociation accompanied the German ForeignMinister on a trip to tehran at the end of November1998. the Near and Middle east association and theGerman-iranian Chamber of Commerce were alsoinvolved in a preparatory meeting of the German-iranian economic Commission.

Many further milestones marked the work of theNear and Middle east association until 1989:Following Foreign Minister Genscher's visit todamascus in august 1985, the Syrian governmentinvited the Near and Middle east association fortalks. a German business delegation travelled todamascus in 1985 under the leadership of theassociation’s Chairman, Hans-Otto thierbach.

the management of the Near and Middle eastassociation travelled to the countries of the region inorder to introduce itself. Personal contacts were



established with German representatives in Syria,Syrian chambers of commerce, ministries, centralbanks, and individual businessmen. an employee ofthe association also represented the association atthe international fair in Baghdad. a visit to the BritishMiddle east association in london resulted in aninteresting exchange of experiences.

in december 1989, the Near and Middle eastassociation and the iHK Bielefeld organized a con-ference on arab commercial and contract law, themain topics being agency law, supply contracts, arbi-tration, and joint ventures.

Staff changes at the head of the association neverlead to a break in the work of the Near and Middleeast association but were rather a guarantee for itsstability. dr. rolf-e. Breuer who was a Member ofthe Board of deutsche Bank aG, Frankfurt, as washis predecessor Hans-Otto thierbach, becameChairman of the Board of the association onSeptember 16th, 1986. dr. Otto Plassmann becamethe managing director in 1989.

dr. rolf-e. Breuer

1989



Change and Continuity:The Nineties

iraq's occupation of Kuwait which caused the sec-ond Gulf crises in august 1990, the new leader shipin iran, and the reunification of Germany were for-mative events for the work of the Near and Middleeast association in 1990.

after German companies had spent two yearsreestablishing business contacts with iraq andKuwait, iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the impendingforeign intervention brought new uncertainty as tothe future of the region. the association wasapproached from many sides requiring informationon the current situation, interviews, backgroundreports, and lectures.

an iraq Conference held in this respect gave fullinformation about the trade embargo on iraq.Moreover, the background of the Gulf crises wasreviewed.

the field of work of the Near and Middle eastassociation grew as a result of the reunification ofGermany. the association made increased efforts toestablish contacts with companies in the new feder-al states and organized talks and events for that pur-pose.

the German economy followed the new develop-ments in iran with great interest. Presidentrafsanjani made an effort to reform the economy ofhis country. the management of the associationjoined a delegation to tehran which was headed bydr. von Würzen, State Secretary of the FederalMinistry of economics. the mission was undertakenin order to intensify future cooperation that would bebeneficial for both sides. the delegation was not dis -appointed: the economic plan presented by theiranian side contained clear liberal and market econ-omy elements and opened up a number of new

1990



business opportunities to the German partners. thehuge number of business representatives – a dele-gation of about 60 people – and the assurance of anew dM 500m Hermes credit limit also con vincedtehran that the German economy had a great inter-est in cooperation.

On the occasion of the visit of Saudi arabian govern-ment representatives to Germany at the beginning of1990, the Near and Middle east association orga-nized a meeting of the "Businessmen's dialogue"which was attended by H.e. abalkhayl, the Saudiarabian Minister of Finance and trade at the time.

in addition to its country-related activities, theassociation was in demand as a participant ofregional events that dealt with the region around thearab world in a transnational way. thus the Nearand Middle east association attended the world con-ference of the iCC in Hamburg.

From 1991 to 1994, the oil-rich Gulf States were atthe centre of attention of German companies. thesecond Gulf crisis came to an end in January 1991and the way was clear for economic activities in theGulf. the commencement of the reconstruction workin lebanon as well as the declarations of indepen-dence of the central asian republics of azerbaijan,Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, tajikistan, turkmenistanand Uzbekistan in 1990 and 1991 constituted impor-tant developments for economic involvement in theregion.

at that time, the oil-producing countries had priorityon the itinerary of the Near and Middle eastassociation. in 1991, Members of the Board of theNear and Middle east association accompanied theFederal Minister of economics, Möllemann, on histrip to iran, Kuwait, and Saudi arabia.



in February 1992, another conference of theGerman-Saudi mixed economic Commission tookplace in riyadh. For that reason, the FederalMinister of economics travelled to the Saudi capitalwith a German delegation again. the Near andMiddle east association was involved in preparingand implementing the trip. the prospect of Germaninvestments in Saudi arabia as well as Saudi invest-ments in Germany, especially in the new federalstates, was one of the most important topics. in1994, Members of the Board of the Near and Middleeast association accompanied another delegation ofthe Federal Minister of economics at the time, dr.rexroth, to the country. in that year Saudi arabiabecame Germany's third-largest trading partner inthe arab world.

at the end of October 1992, the second eG-GCCindustrial conference took place in Qatar. about 200personalities from europe participated – amongthem representatives of the Near and Middle eastassociation – and a similar number of representa -tives from the GCC-countries. the main topics wereplans for a free trade agreement and a tax on CO2.

at the beginning of the 1990s, lebanon began torecover from the years of civil war. German exportsinto the country rose constantly, and lebanon couldalso increase its exports to Germany year by year.On behalf of the eU, the association and partnerorganisations from the Netherlands and Belgiumundertook a business trip to lebanon.

in 1994, the involvement of German companies inthe new Central asian republics intensified. in thatyear alone about 40 new representative offices ofGerman companies were registered in alma ata(Kazakhstan) and about 25 in tashkent(Uzbe kistan). the Near and Middle east association

1992

1994



expanded its coverage to include these countries inresponse to the growing demand for information.

in april 1994, the Foreign Ministry organized a fact-finding tour to iraq. after the Gulf war there had beenno German representation in the country for fouryears. the Federal Government was interested toform an impression of the current situation. the con-tacts established during this visit were maintained bytwo subsequent visits by the Near and Middle eastassociation.

Foreign trade and the relations with egypt were justas positive in these years, and the Near and Middleeast association cultivated them. the Near andMiddle east association was still an important con-tact for the country on the Nile.

in 1991, a representative of the Near and Middleeast association visited Cairo to hold talks with theegyptian Businessmen's association (eBa) whichsought communication with German companies andasked the association for support. Many contactscould be built up in the following period.

in the meantime, turkey had become Germany’smost important foreign trade partner in the region.the association took up the impulses coming fromthe German-turkish Cooperation Council in istanbulin 1994 and arranged in the same year, together withpartner organisations from other eU-countries, aBusiness Week for partnerships in food processingin izmir on behalf of the european Union. a similarevent followed for automotive components inistanbul.

Furthermore, the Near and Middle east associationparticipated in many events in Germany to presentits work at home. the country associations jointlypresented themselves at the Chamber of Commercein leipzig. the Near and Middle east associationalso took part in the organisation of various informa-



tion events: the Foreign trade Group of theassociation of the German Motor industry, the iranday of the Carl duisberg Centres (CdC), a turkeyday, and a Cyprus day by the Chamber ofCommerce of Hamburg, as well as several meetingsof the Saudi German investment Company (SaGe-CO) were among the business related gatherings.

1995 was dominated by the prospects of future co -operation with the Palestinian territories. the peaceprocess between the israelis and Palestinians thathad started at the beginning of the 1990s arousedthe interest of the German economy to becomeincreasingly involved not only in israel, but also inthe Palestinian territories. the Near and Middleeast association organised a fact finding mission toexplore business possibilities. 19 German businessexecutives visited the Palestinian autonomousregions in May 1995. during the four day trip, theGerman guests held talks with members ofChambers of Commerce in Nablus, Bethlehem,Gaza, and ramallah. the trip was very valuable ingaining information and contacts in particular in thearea of infrastructure. a meeting with PresidentYasser arafat, the Minister of economics and trade,ahmed Qurei, and the Minister of Cooperation andPlanning, dr. Nabil Shaath, was also on the agenda.

in May 1995, then Federal Chancellor dr. Helmut Kohl also travelled to the Near east. Hevisited egypt and Jordan as well as israel and thePalestinian territories. during the same year, repre-sentatives of the Near and Middle east associationaccompanied the Foreign Minister at the time, dr. Klaus Kinkel, on a trip to Cairo, Kuwait, Qatar,Bahrain, and ankara. the trip was a great opportu-nity for the Near and Middle east association tostrengthen its contacts with local organisations.

1995

dr. Helmut Kohl and Hosny Mubarak



On 27th december 1995, Wolf-elmar Warningbecame Chairman of the Near and Middle eastassociation. He succeeded dr. rolf-e. Breuer, whohad been the Chairman of the association since1986.

in 1996, the North africa Middle east initiative of theGerman economy (NMi) was founded. its goal wasto coordinate the work of relevant associations inGermany and in the region. the Near and Middleeast association is one of its founding and partici-pating organisations. an employee of the ForeignMinistry was in charge of the coordination work. thearea of activity of the NMi extends from North africato Pakistan and also includes the Gulf States, thuscomprising 22 countries.

at the end of 1996, the Near and Middle eastassociation organised a delegation of business rep-resentatives to Saudi arabia. the business meetings during the trip opened up interestingprospects for business activity in the Kingdom forthe German participants.

apart from Saudi arabia as an important market, theassociation also focused on Yemen, which wasamong the most important recipients of Germandevelopment aid in the region. in September 1997,the Near and Middle east association organised andreceived a business delegation in Hamburg onbehalf of the Federal Ministry of economics. inresponse to the successful visit of the delegation inthe Hanseatic city, the guests from Yemen extendedan invitation to Yemen for the following year.

1996



in 1997, Werner Schoeltzke, Chairman of theexecutive directors of Fritz Werner industrie-ausrüstungen GmbH – later renamed MaNFerrostaal industrie anlagen GmbH – became theChairman of the Near and Middle east association.Helene rang became Chief executive Officer (CeO)and deputy Chairperson of the association.

the association was completely restructured. thenumber of Board Members was raised and the coun-try committees were revived. an advisory committeewas set up, the members of which were to beselected from public figures as well as experts with special relations to the region. in addition, many rep-resentative offices were opened in various Germancities.

Werner Schoeltzke

1997

Helene rang

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How to contact us:NUMOV - Nah- und Mittelost-Verein e.V.

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in February 1998, The Near and Middle EastEconomic Handbook was published for the firsttime. it has been published every two years sincethen and gives an overview of the current economicdevelopments in the region.

the first edition of the "Economic Forum Near andMiddle East" followed in March the same year.there had been no comparable publication inGermany so far. today, it is Germany's largest eco-nomic publication for the Near and Middle east andis also well known in the region.

the issue of Yemen was taken up again at thebeginning of the year. in cooperation with theeconomic Council of Sachsen, the Near and Middleeast association organised a conference about theeconomic perspectives in reunified Yemen inJanuary. the new political and economic frameworkas well as the huge response to the visit of a Yemenidelegation to Hamburg the year before made theNear and Middle east association evaluate theopportunities for economic involvement in the coun-try itself.

after a fact-finding mission in Yemen in January andFebruary, a business delegation of the Near andMiddle east association, in cooper ation with theFederal Ministry of economic Cooperation anddevelopment and the Hessian Ministry ofeconomics, travelled to the country in spring 1998.among the important topics discussed were the con-struction of infrastructure and energy supply as wellas developing the fishing industry, water technology,and environmental protection.

Since 1998, the Near and Middle east associationhas been organising fact-finding missions whichhelp obtain first-hand regional information about therespective countries. For this purpose, a trip wasundertaken to Qatar in March. By tapping the largestisolated natural gas field of the world, the country

f.r.t.l: ali abdullah Saleh,President of the republic ofYemen, dr. Helga GräfinStrachwitz, ambassador inYemen, first female Germanambassador in the region,Werner Schoeltzke, Helenerang.

1998



experienced an enormous economic upturn; and itstill has enormous resources at its disposal. thecountry invested considerable amounts in the pro-cessing of natural gas and in the steel industry aswell as the production of building materials. the goalof the mission was to establish contacts with theeconomic decision-makers of the country.

during the trip, there were also talks with the QatariMinister of economics and Finance, H.e. YoussefHussain Kamal, the Qatari Minister of energy andindustry, H.e. abdullah Bin Hamad al attiyah, andthe Secretary of State H.e. ali M. al-Khater. thehigh light of the visit was a personal reception of theNear and Middle east association management bythe emir of Qatar. it was then agreed to host a Qataridelegation in Germany.

the next fact-finding mission was a trip to lebanonin early summer. the talks concentrated on pro -spects and opportunities for participation by Germancompanies in the reconstruction projects of thecountry. discussions with the lebanese Minister ofeconomics, Yasin Jaber, the Minister of agriculture,Shawki Fakhoury, and the Minister of Finance, FuadSiniora, provided the possibility for both sides tohave an interesting dialogue and exchange ideas.

in late autumn, the Near and Middle eastassociation organized a fact-finding mission to iran.the aim was to strengthen economic relations be tween the two countries as these had lost intensi-ty in the preceding years due to various events. theagenda included visits to the industrial developmentand renovation Organisation of iran (idrO), theCentral Bank of iran (Bank Markazi), the NationalPetrochemical Company (NPC), the authority forPromotion of Free trade and industrial areas, andthe iranian Chamber of Commerce, industries andMines (iCCiM). the intensive talks that contributedto the rebuilding of friendly relations between the twocountries made the trip a great success.



Besides these activities, other important markets inthe region were not neglected. in autumn, theassociation organised the economic conference"tiger on the Nile?" in cooperation with the BHFBank in Frankfurt a.M. the goal was to strengthenGerman contacts with egyptian companies and toprovide information about the improvements whichthe new egyptian privatisation programme entailedfor foreign investors. Further more, the Near andMiddle east association invited a Saudi delegationto Germany on behalf of the Federal Ministry ofeconomics. the delegation of 33 participants, whichwas headed by Khaled al-Zamil, President of theCouncil of Saudi Chambers of Commerce andindustry and owner of the al-Zamil Group, visitedStuttgart, Frankfurt a.M. and Wiesbaden.

in 1999, Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski – also known asBen Wisch – became Honorary Chairman of theNear and Middle east association.

during his political career, he was a member of theSocial democratic Party (SPd) since 1948 – wherehe shaped social democratic politics as Chairman ofthe Social democrats' youth organisation, GeneralSecretary and Vice-Chairman of his party, and asChairman of his party's Committee for internationalrelations. His most prominent posts were: Ministerof economic Cooperation and development,Minister of State in the Federal Foreign Office andthe Chancellor's Office during Helmut Schmidt'sterm of office. He was chairman of the associationfor town Partnership between Cologne andBethlehem and Member of the Board of trus tees ofthe Friedrich-ebert Foundation. On the occasion ofHans-Jürgen Wischnewski's appointment asHonorary Chairman of the Near and Middle eastassociation a huge gala event took place in Bonn on8th February, 1999. almost all the ambassadors fromthe countries of the Near and Middle east as well asNorth africa were present. important representativesfrom various Federal Ministries, politicians, and the

f.l.t.r.: Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski, Yasser arafat and Heidemarie Wieczoreck-Zeul

1999



Board Members of the Near and Middle eastassociation were also present to celebrate the ap -pointment.

iran remained an important topic. after the collapseof the price of oil, iran was affected by its low exportlevel, as oil made up 80% of its exports. at the sametime, German bilateral trade with iran recorded aclear decline. the government, led by PresidentKhatami, strove to bring about economic reformsand to reduce iran's dependence on oil revenues.there were efforts to expand marketing of non-oilexports such as agricultural products and textiles aswell as an increasing amount of petrochemical prod-ucts and aluminium.

the Near and Middle east association responded tothe new economic development in iran and was thefirst German organisation to organise the confer -ence "Petrochemical industry in iran – Newinvestment Opportunities" which took place inHamburg in September 1999. a high-ranking iraniandelegation headed by the president of the NationalPetrochemical Company and deputy Oil MinisterH.e. Mohammad reza Nematzadeh took part in theconference. Papers were also presented by H.e. dr.ahmad azizi, the iranian ambassador to Germany,as well as high-ranking representatives of theFederal Ministry of economics and trade, the petro-chemical industry, and financial institutions.

the high-ranking contacts which the Near andMiddle east association could establish in Qatar ledto an intensification of bilateral relations: H.H.Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-thani was the firstQatari Head of State to visit Germany. during hisvisit he was also received by roman Herzog, whowas the Federal President at the time. in coopera-tion with the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW),especially with ingrid Matthäus-Meier, BoardMember of the KfW and the Near and Middle east

Mohammad reza Nematzadeh



association, the Near and Middle east associationorganised what was to be the most successful meet-ing of German and Qatari businessmen ever. it tookplace in Frankfurt in November and over 200German business representatives took part. theQatari delegation of 38 members was headed byH.e. abdullah Bin Hamad al-attiyah – Minister ofenergy, industry, electricity, and Water – and H.e.Youssef Hussain Kamal – Minister of Finance,economics, and trade. Official support was given tothe event by State Secretary dr. Gerlach from theFederal Ministry of economics. the intensification ofeconomic ties is also reflected in trade statistics: inthe year after the visit of the Qatari government rep-resentatives, German exports to Qatar rose by59.2%.

apart from events related to specific countries andtopics, the Near and Middle east association pro -vided its members with more general informationabout the current situation and business opportuni-ties in the Middle east. in January, about 80 Germanbusiness representatives participated in theeconomic Near east day which was organised inMainz by the Near and Middle east association incooperation with the iHK rheinhessen. the con -ference catered especially for the needs of smalland medium-sized companies. the main focus wason establishing contacts, completion of contractsand legal protection for practical purposes. therewas also an invitation to an information meetingdeal-ing with current questions of foreign tradepromo tion at the Federal Ministry of economics.

in October 1999, members of the Near and Middleeast association visited the european Commissionin Brussels as part of a presentation of the euro-Mediterranean Cooperation. For the first time, agroup of German businessmen and economic repre-sentatives had the opportunity to receive first-handinformation on the programmes of the eU in theMediterranean region.

f.l.t.r.: Jens-Ove Stier, Vice-Chairman ofthe Near and Middle east association,Walter Weinberger, German ambassadorto Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-thani, emir of Qatar, Werner Schoeltzke,Chairman of the Near and Middle eastassociation

Hamad bin Yassim binMohammed al thani,roman Herzog



The Near and Middle East Association today

in 2000 the Near and Middle east association tookthe initiative to concentrate the forces already activein the Near east at european level. Various non-profit organisations working to promote economicrela tions with the Middle east followed the invitationof the Near and Middle east association to convenein Frankfurt. representatives of the Middle eastassociation (london), the Society for austro-arabrelations (Vienna), the Netherlands Middle eastBusiness Council (the Hague), the OPeC andMiddle east Business Clubs (Copenhagen), and theNear and Middle east association founded the"Federation of the European Middle EastBusiness Associations".

this step emphasized the growing importance ofeuropean cooperation in the field of foreign tradepromotion. the exchange of experiences and jointmeetings was to lead to an improved services formember companies.

the Gulf states also played an important role for theNear and Middle east association in 2000: in april,the Near and Middle east association and the iHKFrankfurt organised an iraq conference on traderelations with iraq within the context of the Oil-for-Food Programme. during the conference, membershad the opportunity to discuss the latest develop-ments in iraq and obtain important first-hand infor-mation.

in July 2000, the President of the islamic republic ofiran, H.e. Mohammed Khatami, visited Germany. itwas the first visit of an iranian Head of State in 33years. in the same month, H.e. akbar torkan,iranian deputy Minister of industry and the

2000

Mohammed Khatami, Werner Schoeltzke



President of the industrial development andrenovation Organi sation of iran (idrO), acceptedan invitation of the Near and Middle east associationto come to Hamburg. the visit also helped preparethe trip by a German economic delegation to tehran.at the beginning of October, a German businessdele gation headed by the Federal Minister ofeconomics dr. Werner Müller travelled to tehran.the efforts made to improve mutual economic rela-tions were effective: in 2000, German exports to iranrose by almost 400% compared to the previous year.there was also an increase in imports of iranianproducts.

relations with Qatar were intensified as well. at therequest of the Federal Ministry of economics, theNear and Middle east association organized a tripfor 30 business representatives to Qatar and Kuwait.the delegation was received in Qatar by the Ministerof energy H.e. abdullah Bin Hamad al attiyah andthe Minister of economics and Finance H.e. YousefKamal. during the visit, Qatar was awarded the con-tract to host the asian Olympic Games in 2006. Onthis occasion, the Near and Middle east association– with the assistance of the German ambassador toQatar – founded the German Working Group asianGames 2006. after only a few months, about 100companies had joined the group.

after the second Gulf war, Kuwait and Qatar consti-tuted interesting markets for German companies.economic activities between Germany and Kuwaitflourished: in the meantime, about 700 Germancompanies were registered in Kuwait. in 2000,German exports already exceeded eUr 500m.Germany predominantly supplied machines, elec-tronic equipment, medicine, and high-tech products.



For the first time in its history, the association hadthe opportunity to invite its member companies tothe Foreign Ministry in Berlin. More than 150 com-pany representatives had the unique opportunity toreceive and discuss information presented byJoachim Broudré-Gröger, the head of the economicdepartment of the Foreign Ministry, and other high-ranking speakers.

February saw the first visit of a Federal President tothe State of Qatar. H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifaal-thani and President dr. h.c. Johannes rau metfor official talks. H.H. Sheikh Hamad emphasized thesignificance of the bilateral economic relations. theVice-Chairperson of the German Near and Middleeast association, Helene rang, representing theassociation’s management, was also a Member ofthe President’s delegation.

in March, the German Working Group asian GamesQatar 2006, which had been initiated by the Nearand Middle east association, held its first meeting. itwas headed by Martin Bay, Chairman of the Boardof Managing directors of lahmeyer int. GmbH at thetime and Member of the Board of the Near andMiddle east association.

after a meeting between the executive director ofthe Near and Middle east association, Helene rang,and the new President of the Olympic Committee(QNOC), H.e. Sheikh tamim bin Hamad al-thani,the first presentation of the German Working Groupasian Games Qatar 2006 followed. a press con -ference organised by the Near and Middle eastassociation on the same day resulted in detailedcoverage in all important local newspapers andstressed the importance of German presence in theregion.

dr. Johannes rau,H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-thani

H.e. Sheikh tamim binHamad al-thani



Whereas the Near and Middle east association hasbeen promoting bilateral relations between Germanyand the countries of the Near and Middle east, theJunior Circle of the Near and Middle eastassociation founded in 2000 is engaged particularlyin cultural exchange. the goal of the Junior Circle isto promote the dialogue between young people ofdifferent cultural and religious backgrounds incooperation with science and economy. the JuniorCircle is a bridgehead to the region and a platform toexchange knowledge and experiences. On 8th June2001, a group of iranian students participated in thefirst symposium of the Junior Circle of the Near andMiddle east association at the Chamber ofCommerce in Hamburg. the topic of the symposiumwas "How do economic globalisation and new tech-nology change the dialogue between cultures?"

in 2001, the qatar German Business Forum start-ed its work as part of the Near and Middle eastassociation and as an umbrella organisation of theGerman pool of companies. important German com-panies sought to join the pool. turkey remained afurther main focus of the association. in summer2001, a high-ranking delegation of the Near andMiddle east association travelled to the country onthe Bosporus. although turkey – as one ofGermany's most important trading partners outsidethe eU – was suffering the biggest economic crisisin 50 years, it remained a reliable partner. the dele-gation met with the turkish Minister of economics,Kemal dervis. the focus of the delegation trip wason ankara, istanbul, and izmir as economic andpolitical centres. the aim of the trip was to supportthe traditionally good economic relations withturkey, especially during difficult times.

the United arab emirates (Uae), in the meantimeGermany's second most important economic partnerin the arab world, were the destination of a dele -gation trip in October 2001. Having decreased itsdependence on oil export in favour of tourism and

2001

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin raschid alMaktoum, (r.), H.e. Sheikh ahmed binSaeed al Maktoum



H.M. King abdullah ii.of Jordan

finance, the Uae offered numerous prospects forGerman companies. during the trip, the participat-ing business representatives had the opportunity todirectly establish important contacts and strengthenexisting relations.

German foreign trade with Jordan had been on asteady rise since the 1990s. in October, H.M. Kingabdullah ii of Jordan participated in a meeting withmore than 100 German economic representatives inBerlin. the meeting was headed by the Chairman ofthe German Near and Middle east association,Werner Schoeltzke. in the two years following thegenera tion change in the ruling house, theHashemite Kingdom had laid the foundations of amodern and open economy and thus paved the wayfor an economic upturn.

the Near and Middle east association participatedin the organisation of the 11th euro-arabenvironment Conference which took place in 2001in rostock. the main topics were technologies con-cerning waste, recycling, water and sewage treat-ment, as well as climate protection and air purifi-cation. efforts to protect the environment and for theefficient utilisation of natural resources, which areaimed at improving living conditions, are increasing-ly gaining significance in the region. the sectoroffers great business opportunities for German com-panies, whose products enjoy a good reputation inthe Near and Middle east.

in 2001, the Near and Middle east associationintensified its activities at international fairs.Following the initiative of the Near and Middle eastassociation, the Oil & Gas Fair in teheran was puton the official foreign fair agenda of the FederalGovernment.



2002

Kemal dervis

the Near and Middle east association has in themeantime become the best-known German organi-sation in Qatar, apart from the companies operatingin the country such as KruppUhde. On behalf of theFederal Ministry of economics and labour, the Nearand Middle east association organised a delegationof about 44 German business representatives toQatar and Oman. it was the largest German busi -ness delegation that had ever visited Qatar. theambassador to Qatar at the time, H.e. rolf Meyer-Olden, gave confirmation to the German Near andMiddle east association and the Foreign Ministrythat there had never been so much publicity forGermany in Qatar.

in the previous few years, Germany had become animportant business partner for Oman and was ranked 5th among the import countries of theSultanate. during their visit, the members of the del-egation were informed in detail by high-rankingOmani hosts about the current investment situationand business opportunities in the country.

in april 2002, the association opened its new repre-sentative office in Berlin-Mitte. after 68 years, theassociation had returned to the place of its foundingin Jägerstraße and is now permanently present inBerlin once again.

the turkish Minister of economics, Kemal dervis,came to Hamburg in april, following an invitation ofthe Near and Middle east association to speak before 200 guests at the German Near and Middleeast Gala event 2002 in the Hotel “Four Seasons”.He appealed to the european Union not to hesitatebut instead to name a date for eU membershipnegotiations with turkey, which would be an impor-tant signal to confirm the mutual readiness to admitthe country. the Minister hoped this would helpstrengthen the progress already made and pushahead the structural reforms that were indispens-able to ensure urgently needed foreign investment.



dr. Werner Müller, FederalMinister of economics, anddr. ibrahim al-assaf, Minister ofFinance of the Kingdom of Saudiarabia

in 2001, dervis came to ankara as an independentexpert of the World Bank at the peak of the eco-nomic crisis in turkey. He quickly devised an emer-gency plan aiming to put turkey on a consolidationcourse. in the past, growth potential had not beenexploited due to undisciplined budgetary policy andstructural weakness.

during the same month, the Federal Minister ofeconomics, dr. Werner Müller, travelled to Saudiarabia for the first time, in response to Crown Princeabdullah Bin abdulaziz al Saud's visit a year before.this was a historic milestone in the bilateral rela -tions.

in June 2002, the iranian Minister of industry, eshaqJahangiri, visited Germany for the first time. He heldvery successful talks with his German counterpartdr. Werner Müller. Only a few weeks later, dr.Werner Müller visited iran in return. during the visit,the German-iranian investment promotion and pro-tection treaty was signed. For the first time,investors were guaranteed a high degree of legalprotection.

in august 2002, the German Near and Middle eastassociation as a member organisation of theFederation of european Near and Middle eastBusiness associations organised the conference"UNdP and the Private Sector". experts of UNdP(United Nations development Programme) andeNrP (electricity Network rehabilitationProgramme) had travelled to Germany to informmore than 150 economic representatives fromdenmark, Holland, austria, england, and Germanyabout business opportunities in connection withUNdP and eNrP.



Qatar - German - Business - Forum

Chemical industry in the Near andMiddle east



in 2003 the Near and Middle east association pub -lished its first issue of the economic journal Qatar-German-Business-Forum in order to report aboutrecent economic developments and to strengthenthe bilateral relations between Germany and theState of Qatar in economic, cultural and politicalrespect.

the Qatar-German-Business-Forum appearsbimonthly – just like the economic Forum Near andMiddle east.

in March 2003, the Near and Middle eastassociation published the handbook "WaterManagement and Water Technology in the Nearand Middle East" in cooperation with the Federalagency for Foreign trade.

the countries of the Near and Middle east dependto a large extent on non-renewable groundwaterresources. there are plans for integrated and sus-tainable water management in some countries, butthey have not yet been put into practice. this notonly has a negative effect on agriculture, but also onthe entire economic development of the region. amarket analysis regarding water management andwater technology in the Near and Middle east wasmet with a very positive response. there are in -teresting long-term opportunities for German com-panies in this sector.

in 2003, the association's general meeting was com-bined for the first time with a Near east day at theForeign Ministry in Berlin. representatives of theministry's economic department as well as a numberof German ambassadors explained current politicaland economic issues concerning the Near andMiddle east region. the event was a great opportu-nity to find out about current developments and tohave informal talks at the conference.

2003



due to the war in iraq, the association concentratedon specialised meetings in Germany. there was agreat response to a seminar on general legal con -ditions when doing business with arab countries,organised by the Near and Middle east associationand the "industrie- und Handelskammer Münchenund Oberbayern".

experienced speakers presented papers on thelegal conditions in individual countries of the region.Member companies as well as non-members of theassociation had the chance to talk directly with law-yers and tax experts working in the region. theeuropean-iranian trade Bank in Hamburg hosted aconference "the current situation of business andinvestment opportunities in the growing market ofiran". the Near and Middle east association had thehonour of welcoming the iranian ambassador toGermany, H.e. Shamsodin Kharegani, to this event.the main focus was on the investment protectionagreement between iran and Germany.

the seminar "learning to Understand arabic" wasoffered by the association in May, 2003 for the firsttime. Since then it has been presented regularly dueto its great success. the goal of the seminar is toteach businessmen the basics of arabic as well asimportant cultural characteristics.



the United arab emirates – which has been one ofGermany's most important economic partners in theregion for many years – became the focus of atten -tion again in 2003. the Near and Middle eastassociation initiated the visit of a high-ranking eco-nomic delegation from dubai to Germany in earlysummer. the delegation was headed by H.e.Qassim Sultan, the Mayor of dubai. during the visitthe delegation gathered information about urban railtransport systems.

in October 2003, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder trav-elled to the United arab emirates, Saudi arabia, andegypt for the first time. His trip received positiveattention and significantly contributed to a positivedevelopment of the German economy.

in cooperation with the Federal Ministry foreconomics and labour, the German Near andMiddle east association organised a Near andMiddle east Conference on the ministry's premiseson 20th October 2003. about 300 high-rankingGerman business representatives attended the con-ference. the Near and Middle east associationarranged a grand gala the same evening in theMaritim Hotel, which gave the guests the opportuni-ty to pick up the topics that had been discussed atthe conference in a festive and relaxed atmosphere.during his speech, dr. ditmar Staffelt, ParliamentaryState Secretary to the Federal Ministry of economicsand labour, outlined the government's currentefforts with regard to the Near and Middle east.

Qassim Sultan,Mayor of dubai

H.e. Gerhard Schröder and SheikhZayed Bin Sultan al Nahyan

ingrid Matthäus-Maier,Mindir. dr. Karl-ernst Brauner

dr. ditmar Staffelt

Your partner for success¨ with comprehensive advice¨ up-to-date information¨ help in establishing cooperation or with questions of market entry¨ information about economic conditions¨ analysis of specific business sectors¨ export and import promotion¨ new project information¨ delegation trips to further develop business relationships¨ networking opportunities in Germany and in the region¨ representation of your interests domestically and abroad¨ further education/ lectures/ training¨ exchange of experiences among members¨ country committees¨ written information:

ü Project Hotlineü Near and Middle east economic Handbookü WirtschaftsForum Nah- und Mittelost

(economic Forum Near and Middle east)ü Qatar - German - Business - Forumü iraQi GerMaN BUSiNeSS dialOGUeü iranian - German - Business - Forumü Vae im Focus (Uae in Focus)ü Kuwaiti-German-Business-Forumü Saudi German Business dialogueü Orient

Your membership in

is important for your success!

How to contact us:

NUMOV - Nah- und Mittelost-Verein e.V.(German Near and Middle East Association)

E-Mail: [email protected]: www.numov.de





Journal „the Uae in Focus“



the healthcare sector of Saudi Arabia plays a majorrole for German companies. it is the most importantmarket for German medical equipment in the Gulfregion. due to its steadily growing population andincreasing average life expectancy, Saudi arabiacontinues to upgrade and extend its healthcare facilities and services. therefore, NUMOV orga-nised a German Healthcare delegation to Saudiarabia on behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and labour at the beginning of 2004.30 German delegation members found it a greatopportunity to establish or deepen contacts in theKingdom and to get an inside look at the Saudihealthcare market.

German Healthcare delegation in Saudi arabia

2004



On 31st May and 1st June, the German Near andMiddle east association celebrated its 70th anniver-sary. in order to mark this auspicious occasion, aspecial conference on the region took place in theFederal Foreign Office in Berlin which was attendedby some 600 business executives, government officials and representatives of foreign diplomaticmissions as well as a high ranking delegation fromthe United arab emirates.

the keynote speech of the anniversary celebrationat the Federal Foreign Office was delivered byJürgen Chrobog, State Secretary of the FederalForeign Office. He referred to the longstanding closerelationship between the association and theForeign Office. describing the special fascinationwhich the Orient, its people, its culture and its busi ness opportunities have always had onGermans, Chrobog emphasised Germany's goodstanding in the region "and the cordial relations between our peoples that have built a solid basis foreconomic and cultural cooperation". He emphasizedGermany's interest in the political stability andeconomic development of a region which is seen bymany people as one of the main conflict areas of theworld. Werner Schoeltzke, Chairman of the GermanNear and Middle east Business association,stressed the importance of the existing close coop-eration between the association and political institu-tions such as ministries in Berlin and Germanembassies in the region. He praised the solidaritybetween politics and industry which can beobserved in joint delegations and events as well asin the day-to-day contact with the German

Jürgen Chrobog

Participants of the anniversary celebration at the Federal Foreign Office

70th Anniversary of theGerman Near and MiddleEast Association



em bassies in the region. Helene rang, Chiefexecutive Officer of the German Near and Middleeast association, thanked the team of the FederalForeign Office for its support and its long standingexcellent cooperation with the association. in herpresentation, "Märkte verbinden Menschen"(Markets Connect People), she gave an account ofthe association's work over its 70 year history. Sheunderlined the pioneering work of leading Germanpersonalities from companies such as Siemens andallianz in founding the "Orient Verein" in Berlin in1934. the promotion of economic and cultural relations was the main aim of the independent, non-profit organisation from its very start. the re -establishment of the association under its new name"Nah- und Mittelost-Verein (NUMOV)" in Hamburg in1950 opened a new chapter in the activities of thiswell-reputed institution, rang said. the foundationof the "deutsche Orient-Stiftung" in 1960 and theestab lishment of the "deutsche Orient-institut" nodoubt gave a further boost to the work of theassociation.

during the second part of the event, representativesof different German diplomatic missions from theregion gave brief accounts of the present situation ofselected countries such as turkey, Kuwait, lebanon,Saudi arabia, Syria and the United arab emirates,outlining the political and economical prospects inthose places.

representatives of German diplomatic missions at the anniversary celebration at the Federal Foreign Office



On the evening of 1st June, a special Gala Dinner,hosted by deutsche Bank, was held in the atrium ofthe bank headquarters in Berlin. the event wasattended by some 260 German and foreign guests.Guest speaker of the Gala dinner was H.e. SheikhFahim Bin Sultan al Qasimi, the Uae Minister ofeconomy and trade, who was accompanied by alarge delegation. Jürgen Fitschen, Board Member ofthe association and Member of the Group exe cutive Committee of deutsche Bank, welcomedH.e. Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan al-Qasimi and hisdele gation. He emphasized deutsche Bank's long -standing close cooperation with the association andex pressed his hope that the association would ex -pand its services further in the future. He said thatthe association has always communicated thein te rests and proposals of its partners in the regionto the public in Germany and at the same time hasconveyed the efficiency and strength of German in -dustry to the partners in the region. Fitschen under-lined the great significance of recent developmentsin the bilateral relations. in his address he pointed tothe recently signed bilateral agreement on "strategicpartner ship" and expressed his con fidence that theagreement would extend the friendly and trustworthycooperation between the two countries. economiccooperation will be an im portant pillar of this part-nership. trade exchange between the two countrieshas already experienced remarkable growth in thelast few years, making the Uae Germany's mostimportant trading partner in the region.

in his address, the Uae Minister expressed his sat-isfaction about the recent significant intensifi cationof the longstanding good relations betweenGermany and the Uae on all levels. in this context,he referred to the landmark visit of the GermanChancellor to the Uae in October 2003, which wasthe first visit of a German chancellor to the Uaesince 1981. He also mentioned the visit of H.H.Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed al Nahyan, Uae deputyPrime Minister and Minister of State for Foreignaffairs, to Germany in april 2004 which was crownedby the signing of an agreement with Volkswagen.

Jürgen Fitschen

Gala dinner 70 years of NUMOV,hosted by deutsche Bank

H.e. Sheikh Fahim BinSultan al Qasimi



the prospects for the rebuilding of iraq were amongthe central topics relating to the Near east in 2004.Uncertainty concerning the further development ofthe country made iraq a permanent topic of dis -cussion at members meetings and various NUMOVevents. at the same time, the neighbouring countriesKuwait, turkey and Jordan also came to the focus ofattention because of their important function as gate-ways to iraq.

a major part of the equipment needed for projects iniraq has to be transported through Kuwait. With itshistorically close commercial and social ties withiraq, Kuwait acts as a base for international compa-nies bidding for and managing projects in iraq. in2004, German exports to Kuwait amounted to abouteUr 1,135 m, increasing by some 30% over the pre-vious year. in June 2004, NUMOV organised theGerman-Kuwaiti Business Forum in Berlin onthe occasion of a visit by H.e. Sheikh ahmadabdullah al ahmad al Jaber al Sabah, Specialrepresentative of H.H. the Prime Minister of Kuwait,and Minister of Communications, Planning anddevelopment, who was accompanied by a high-ranking delegation. Some 100 German businessexecutives attended the meeting on the joint invita-tion of the German Near and Middle eastassociation (NUMOV) and the Federation of theGerman industry (Bdi) on behalf of the North africaand Middle east initiative of German Business(NMi). H.e. Sheikh ahmad al Sabah highlighted thepositive impact of the new situation in iraq on theKuwaiti economy, stimulating both the private andpublic sectors. dr. Karl-ernst Brauner, directorGeneral and Head of department of Foreigneconomic Policy, Federal Ministry of economics andlabour, acknowledged Kuwait's liberal market poli-cy, the reform of commercial law, the opening of theKuwait stock exchange to foreigners, and the adop-tion of comprehensive legislation to protect copy-right, patents and trade marks.

H.e. Sheikh ahmad abdullah al ahmad alJaber al Sabah, dr. Karl-ernst Brauner

Iraq and neighbouringcountries at the centre

of attention



ali Mohammed thuniyan al-Ghanim, President ofthe Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and industry,invited German industry to intensify cooperation withKuwait. He underlined Kuwait's position as a tradehub of the region and called attention to the fact thatthe GCC is an important market, with a population of25 million and annual imports of USd 80 billion. inhis final remarks, Hans-Udo Muzel, Chargéd'affaires a.i., German embassy in Kuwait, praisedKuwait as the "Switzerland of the Gulf", a notablyreliable and trusted partner.

the economic prospects of the Near and Middleeast in the aftermath of the war in iraq where alsothe key issue of a large Near and Middle EastConference held in august 2004. NUMOV broughttogether some 250 business representatives atCommerzbank in dresden to discuss a wide rangeof topics related to recent political, economic andbusiness developments. Speakers and participantsof the conference agreed that trade expansion andeconomic cooperation contribute significantly to thepolitical stability of the region.

during his visit to Germany in September 2004, iraqiPresident Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawar and several mem-bers of the interim government's cabinet madeprogress in winning trust and confidence in iraq'sfuture within the German business community.Peter F. Mayr, Member of the Board of NUMOV,General Manager of terramar GmbH and Chairmanof the iraqi Working Group of the North africa Middleeast initiative of German Business, praised theendeav-ours of the iraqi people to build the future oftheir country. the struggle for a new order is begin-ning to bring back hope, he said.

ali Mohammed thuniyan al-Ghanim,Hans-Udo Muzel

Speakers and participants of the Near andMiddle east Conference



New economic relations between German andturkish companies were established through a busi-ness delegation to Istanbul and Izmir that wasorganised by NUMOV in September 2004. the del-egation comprised representatives from differentsectors such as banking, manufacturing andconsulting and was led by dr. Peter Klaus, Memberof the Board of KfW banking group and Member ofthe Board of NUMOV. extensive and fruitful bilateralbusiness talks as well as interesting site visitsmade the delegation trip a great success for allparticipants.

the first business conference on Sharjah inGermany was organised by NUMOV at deutscheBank in Berlin and attracted a large number ofGerman business executives. a high ranking dele-gation led by dr. rashid al leem provided a com-prehensive insight into the business environment inthe third largest emirate of the Uae.

the expansion of German-iranian trade relations,German investments in iran and industrial coopera-tion in different fields were the main concerns of thevisit of the German deputy Minister of the FederalMinistry of economics and labour, dr. alfred tacke,in October 2004 to tehran. He was accompanied bya large business delegation led by WernerSchoeltzke. during the visit, dr. tacke stressed theGerman government's readiness to continue itssupport for future projects in iran. the support wouldinclude both direct investment by German compa-nies as well as their engagement as joint ventureswith iranian partners. in this context, the new bilat-eral investment Promotion and Protection treaty is ofsignificant importance. an important improvement inthe new treaty is the provision that disputes can besubmitted to an international arbitration court.

f.l.t.r.: Hamdullah eren, aliihsan aras, Saffet Molvali, allereN Holding, dr. Peter Klaus

f.l.t.r.: abdallah al Badri, Hadi Kassem,both Hamriyah Free Zone authority, Salehal Suwaidi, embassy of the Uae, dr.rashid al leem, dr. Mohammad al Fakhri,embassy of the Uae, Karl-Heinz Wittek,NUMOV



in November 2004, the passing away of SheikhZayed bin Sultan al Nahyan and shortly after ofYasser arafat both marked the end of an era in theMiddle east.

after the announcement of Great Britain to withdrawits military presence in the Gulf, it was Sheikh Zayedwho called for a union of the emirates in the Gulfregion. after several setbacks, on 2nd december1971 a federation of six emirates - abu dhabi,ajman, dubai, Fujeirah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwan, joined in 1972 by ras al-Khaima – formedthe United arab emirates, with Sheikh Zayed aselected president. He has been re-elected eversince in five-year intervals. Sheikh Zayed success -fully developed abu dhabi from a poor country withan economy based on fishery and pearl diving into amodern state. He also played a major role in the for-mation of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Within hislifetime, the vision to bridge the gap between theemirates and the rest of the world was made reality.

another vision is still waiting to be fulfilled. Since thedeath of the first elected president of the PalestinianNational authority, Yasser arafat, the world is stillhoping for a successful continuation in the peaceprocess leading to a free Palestinian nation, livingpeacefully side by side with its neighbours.

at the end of November 2004, NUMOV led aGerman business delegation to lahore in Pakistanin order to receive first-hand information on the well-performing Pakistani economy. With a growth rate of10.2% for the financial year 2003/2004, the manu-facturing sector was a key factor behind the positiveeconomic development. the delegation's desti -nation, lahore, represents a prosperous and vibrantbusiness location that has been established with astrong industrial sector comprising different in -dustrial fields such as metals, textiles, yarn, leather,surgery instruments, food processing and machinemaking.

Sheikh Zayed binSultan al Nahyan

Yasser arafat



the 76th NUMOV Länderforum (exchange of infor-mation and experience among NUMOV members)took place on the 16th december 2004 in theGerman parliamentary buildings on the invitation ofthe Parliamentary Committee of arab Countries. themeeting was not just of great resonance for themembers of the German Near and Middle eastassociation, many members of parliament had alsomade their attendance possible.

in his greeting, Joachim Hörster, Member of theGerman Parliament, Chairman of the ParliamentaryCommittee of arab Countries, gave a positive sum-mary of the "arab World days" that were organisedby the German Parliament for the first time indecember 2004 and supported by the German Nearand Middle east association. in his opinion, one ofthe most important aspects of a successful dialogueis that differences that appear are named, but,despite all these differences, any positive sides beemphasised in the subsequent discussion.

On 24th February 2005, NUMOV lost its staunch sup-porter and patron Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski whodied aged 82. Since 1999, he had been theHonorary Member of the Board of our association.Wischnewski, with his outstanding mediatory skills,served in highly challenging positions during hisactive political life. as a long-standing Member of theGerman Parliament, he was the Minister foreconomic Cooperation and development, Ministerof State in the Foreign Office, and Minister of Statein the Chancellor's office during the chancellorshipof Helmut Schmidt. Wischnewski was one of themost respected German politicians of recent de-cades, especially in the arab World. His image in thearab world and affinity to the region earned him thenickname "Ben Wisch".

2005

Joachim Hörster

Hans-JürgenWischnewski

Exchange of informationand experience



For the first time in German history, GermanChancellor H.e. Gerhard Schröder visited sevenarab countries on a Gulf tour from 27th February to5th March 2005. Chancellor Schröder's visit toSaudi Arabia, Kuwait, qatar, Bahrain, Yemen,Oman and the United Arab Emirates attractedhuge interest from German companies looking toboost their activities in the Middle east while alsohoping for improvements in the general frameworkfor their commitment in the targeted countries.accompanied by a seventy-member industrial dele-gation, Chancellor Schröder focused his seven-country tour on promoting German business inter-ests. it was Chancellor Schröder's second visit to theMiddle east within eighteen months.

the first destination on the Chancellor's tour was thecapital of Saudi Arabia, riyadh, where he met H.H.King Fahd and the Crown Prince H.H. abdullah ibnabdalaziz. emphasizing the close and confidence-based partnership with Saudi arabia, Schröderstressed that Germany intends to further developthis partnership. He said the investment treaty of1999 offered extensive legal protection and that cur-rent negotiations about a double taxation agreementare a further important step. during the Chancellor'svisit, German business representatives were able tosign treaties totalling USd 23.8m in several fields,such as telecommunications and environmentaltechnology. the Kingdom plans to invest about USd286bn until 2023, focusing mainly on infrastructureprojects.

Kuwait was the next destination on ChancellorSchröder's official visit to the Gulf region. it was thefirst visit of a German Chancellor to Kuwait. afterhigh level talks with the emir of Kuwait, H.H. SheikhJaber al-ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, and the PrimeMinister of Kuwait, H.H. Sheikh Sabah al-ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the Chancellor and H.e. abdullahabdelrahman al-taweel, Minister of Commerce andindustry, inaugurated the az Zour ii power plant for

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, H.H. abdullah ibn abdalaziz

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, H.H. SheikhJaber al-ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah

Chancellor Schröder’s seven nation tour to the Gulf region



which Siemens had supplied the gas turbines andwhich provides about a tenth of Kuwait's overallrequired power. Schröder noted that the new plant isa good example of joint German-Kuwaiti projects inthe field of technology and called for a furtherstrengthening of economic and technical co -operation between the two countries.

Continuing his tour of the region, ChancellorSchröder's next stop was qatar, where H.H. SheikhHamad bin Khalifa al-thani, emir of the State ofQatar, praised the German contribution to the coun-try's industrial development and confirmed that theplanned causeway between Qatar and Bahraincould include a railway line using Germantransrapid technology, provided by thyssenKrupptechnologies. Schröder visited the fertiliser factoryQaFCO iV, a plant which was constructed largely bythe thyssenKrupp subsidiary Uhde GmbH that inrecent years also built the third production train,QaFCO iii, as well as the facilities of the Qatar VinylCompany, launched in 2001.

in Bahrain, Chancellor Schröder and Prime MinisterSheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa laid thefoundation stone for a euro University with totalcosts of about USd 131.8m. the University ofHannover is the cooperation partner of the pio neering project which offers specialised post -graduate studies in environmental engineering.talks with Bahrain's leaders on economic issueswere not limited to the role German railway tech -nology should play in implementing the planned rail-way project between the GCC countries. Schröder,who met Bahrain's King Hamad and Prime MinisterSheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, said therelations between Bahrain and Germany should beintensified in all fields. Schröder and Sheikh Khalifadiscussed petrochemical projects and projects in theKingdom's power and water sector as well as co -operation in the field of airport management.

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, H.H. SheikhHamad bin Khalifa al-thani

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Sheikh Khalifabin Salman al-Khalifa



during his first visit to Yemen, the GermanChancellor held talks with Yemeni President aliabdullah Saleh and Prime Minister abdelqaderBajamal. two agreements were signed on prevent-ing dual taxation and on encouraging and protectinginvestments, providing concrete legal frameworks toimprove the investment and business climate. a further agreement was signed between the Yemenigovernment and a consortium led by Siemens tobuild a gas-powered electricity station in the Northeast of Sana'a.

during his visit to Oman, Schröder met H.M. SultanQaboos bin Said and held extensive talks withH.H. Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said, deputyPrime Minister of the Council of Ministers. theyagreed to strengthen cooperation in trade relations,joint investments, vocational training as well as topromote scientific and student exchanges.

Schröder's last stop on his tour to the Middle eastwas the UAE. during the talks held with H.H. SheikhKhalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the President of theUae, both sides expressed their hope that the newlyagreed upon "strategic partnership" would createmore opportunities for bilateral cooperation in theareas of investment and joint ventures, particularly inthe fields of industry, tourism, trade, energy, environ -ment and water, technical education and transfer oftechnology. Schröder welcomed the Uae initiative ininvesting in Germany and stressed the importanceof transfer of technology, know-how and business inboth directions.

the Chancellor's seven nation tour was vital forGermany's increased political and economic engagement in the countries at the Gulf and thegrowing importance of this region as a political allyand for securing stability in the Gulf region.

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, H.e. abdelqader Bajamal

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, H.H. SayyidFahd bin Mahmoud al Said

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, H.H. SheikhSultan bin Zayed al Nahyan, deputyPrime Minister of the Uae



the association's annual ambassadors meeting inMarch 2005 was combined for the first time ever withan individual test run on-road and off-road on thePorsche Formula 1 Proving Ground in leipzig. Forthe ambassadors and guests it was an outstandingexperience to share the discovery of the newPorsche models on a Formula 1 Proving Ground. atthe subsequent Gala-dinner, Hans riedel,executive Vice President of Porsche aG, andHermann Winkler, Minister of State of the Free Stateof Saxony, emphasized the growing German interestin the Near and Middle east region.

On joint invitation of the German Near and Middleeast association and the Senate of the Free andHanseatic City of Hamburg, H.e. alaa abdul MajidHussain al-Hashimy delivered a speech on the cur-rent state of the iraqi economy in the town hall of theFree and Hanseatic City in april 2005. H.e. alaaabdul Majid Hussain al-Hashimy, an architect byeducation, lived in Hamburg for many years. in hisfirst official speech as ambassador of the republicof Iraq to Germany, he addressed a large audienceof some 200 business representatives. al-Hashimynamed the huge challenges his country is facing andcompared the situation to post-war Germany. He leftno doubt that German support is essential foraccomplishing the difficult tasks and emphaticallyappealed for support for the reconstruction efforts iniraq. in august 2004, al-Hashimy had become thefirst iraqi ambassador to Germany after 13 years.Since the 1991 Gulf War, diplomatic relations between iraq and Germany had been downgradedto the level of charge d'affaires.

For the exhibition "rebuild iraq 2005", NUMOVorganised a business delegation to Jordan in april2005. the delegation, led by Peter F. Mayr, Memberof the Board of NUMOV and General Manager ofterramar GmbH, provided several excellent oppor-

H.e. alaa abdulMajid Hussainal-Hashimy

Outstanding ambassadorsmeeting at Porsche

Iraq and Germany



tunities to meet business executives, represen-tatives of ministries and other official organisationsfrom iraq and Jordan. due to Jordan's strong busi-ness ties with iraq and its favourable geographicposition, many German companies consider thecountry as a gateway to the promising iraqi market.

a large German business delegation to Afghanistanwas organised by NUMOV from 8th to 11th May 2005.it was the first German delegation of this kind tovisit Kabul after more than two decades. the 35-member delegation comprised mainly German private sector representatives. the visit aimed atexploring the possibilities of an involvement in thepost-war reconstruction of the country. the pre -sence of the German delegation in Kabul was animportant step in restoring and strengthening eco-nomic relationships between the two countries andwas hailed as a great success. Major highlights ofthe visit were meetings with H.e. Hamid Karzai, thePresident of the islamic State of afghanistan, H.e.ahmad Zia Massood, the Vice President, H.e. aminarsala, Senior advisor to the President and Ministerof Commerce and H.e. Mohammad Yousaf Pashtun,Minister of Urban development and Housing. theGerman delegation also met with members of theafghan business community, with representatives oflocal and international banks as well as with WorldBank representatives and representatives of theaiSa, an independent government organisation cre-ated to attract and facilitate both domestic and for-eign investment. despite infrastructure challenges,afghanistan's private sector is slowly reviving fromthe bottom up. the delegation visited some paradig-matic private sector investments: a USd 25m Coca-Cola bottling plant situated in the Bagrami industrialpark, the biggest private investment to date by anafghan investor, and the tGM Spinning Company. ahighlight of the programme was the cornerstone cer-emony of a "Baumarkt" in the outskirts of Kabul. theinvestment is credited to a German entrepreneur,Henry liesche, who has already invested success-

H.e. Hamid Karzai

delegation members and representativesof World Bank in Kabul, afghanistan

First German businessdelegation to Afghanistanafter more than two decades



fully in a window factory in afghanistan. afghanistanis a priority partner country for German developmentCooperation. the German development organisa-tions GtZ, ded and KfW banking group, which workon behalf of the German Federal Ministry foreconomic Cooperation and development, havebeen active in afghanistan again since 2002. thevisit of the delegation to the joint office of KfW andGtZ in Kabul gave good insight into the work ofthese organisations. Germany contributed eUr 320million for the reconstruction work until the end of2004, exceeding its pledge at the 2002 tokyo con-ference and pledged eUr 320m additional recon-struction aid through to 2008 at the Berlin confer-ence in March 2004.

the 2005 Annual Meeting of the German Near andMiddle east association (NUMOV) was held at thedeutsche Bahn office tower on Potsdamer Platz inBerlin. Hartmut Mehdorn, Chairman of the Board ofdeutsche Bahn aG, the German railway operator,gave a brief account of the global orientation of thecorporate group. according to Mehdorn, the railwaysector is witnessing a worldwide renaissance. in theNear and Middle east, the railway and logistics sec-tors offer huge opportunities due to high oil and gasrevenues, growing economies and increasing urban-isation. the 2005 annual Meeting decided on mat-ters concerning the Board of the association and thearticles of association. after eight years asChairman of the German Near and Middle eastassociation, Werner Schoeltzke, Chairman of theBoard of Managing directors of MaN Ferrostaalindustrieanlagen GmbH, resigned to concentrate onhis numerous other duties. Under his chairmanship,the association experienced an impressive revivaland sustained success. Based on his wide experi-ence, he backed innumerable NUMOV events. Healways supported NuMOV's management with greatengagement and commitment. thus he gainedmuch recognition as NUMOV-Chairman. With all hisexpertise, Werner Schoeltzke continues to serve

Hartmut Mehdorn



NUMOV as Member of the Board of the association.as his successor, Martin Bay, Chairman of the Boardof Managing directors, deutsche Bahn ProjektBauGmbH, one of the largest railway infrastructure man-agement engineering firms in europe, was electedby the General Meeting. Martin Bay has spent a con-siderable part of his professional life in the Near andMiddle east region. Since 2000, he has been aMember of the Board of the German Near andMiddle east association. Furthermore, two co-optedboard members were proposed for election. theGeneral Meeting elected Joachim Hörster, Memberof the German National Parliament and Chairman ofthe Parliamentary Committee on arab countries and dr. Henryk Frystacki, executive Vice-President,Siemens aG, as new Board Members. dr. PeterKlaus, Member of the Board of KfW banking group,was elected as new deputy Chairman of the Board.

Following the suggestion of the Board of theassociation, the General Meeting also decided togenerally extend membership to non-Europeancompanies and organisations. Some members ofNUMOV already had non-european ownership.Since more and more international companies andentrepreneurs operate regional centers of produc-tion and services from which they market major regions or even continents, extending NUMOVmembership was the right step at the right time.trade and investment is not a one-way street.therefore, NUMOV members gained additional ben-efits by opening the association's doors to all inter-nationally and regionally linked companies.

Joachim Hörster, Martin Bay



a three-day 'think tank' seminar on Near andMiddle east issues was organised in June 2005 inBerlin by the Junior Section of NUMOV in co -operation with tönissteiner Kreis and the Konrad-adenauer-Stiftung. it was the first event under theChairmanship of alexander rieper, who followedJan rübel as Chairman of NUMOV's Junior Section.the activities of the Junior Section were continued inthe subsequent weeks through various events, suchas the "trade Night" in the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and labour and a meeting at Porsche inleipzig.

in June 2005, NUMOV published the handbook"The Chemical Industry in the Near and MiddleEast" together with the German Office for Foreigntrade. the publication provides a comprehensiveoverview of the situation of the chemical industry inthe region. No country in the world exports as many chemical products as Germany. in 2004, the volumeof exports was over USd 100bn. However, the Nearand Middle east is not just an important market forchemical products. in the oil-rich countries in theregion, great efforts are being made to constructtheir own chemical industries, creating demand forforeign know-how and technology.

Organising a German business delegation on behalfof the German Federal Ministry of economics andlabour to Southeast-Turkey, a Contact andCooperation Bourse "Professionals in dialogue" washeld by NUMOV from 5th to 10th June 2005 in adanaand Gaziantep. the delegation visit drew a bigresponse from the turkish side and many promisingcontacts were established. the region of adana andGaziantep represents an important bridge to theNear and Middle east, such as to iraq and Syria, aswell as to Central asia.

Junior section of NUMOV



a high-ranking Pakistani business delegationfrom Lahore, led by Mian Misbah-ur-rahman,President of the lahore Chamber of Commerce andindustry (lCCi), visited Germany at the end of July2005. the delegation of the lCCi comprised leadingbusinessmen from manufacturing and trading com-panies representing different sectors, such aspharma ceuticals and chemical goods, plastics, tex-tile and leather industry, telecommunication andoffice devices, as well as agricultural products. a meeting organised by NUMOV and hosted bydeutsche Bank in Berlin gave the delegation theopportunity to meet representatives of severalGerman companies and organisations and to establish contacts. Wolfgang von eckartsberg,Managing director, regional Head Office east,deutsche Bank aG Berlin referred to the recent visitof Pakistan's Prime Minister H.e. Shaukat aziz andpraised Pakistan's economic resurgence, its im -proving economic indicators as well as its growingindustrial output and export.

On 1st august 2005, the Kingdom of Saudi arabiaannounced the death of King Fahd Bin abdul aziz alSaud. Born in 1923, Fahd was the son of King abdulaziz bin abd ar-rahman al Saud (ibn Saud),founder of the modern Kingdom of Saudi arabia.Since he was proclaimed fifth King of Saudi arabiain 1982, succeeding King Khalid, Fahd's first con-cern was the security and stability of the country.throughout his reign, the Kingdom saw an extra -ordinary development of its infrastructure, edu -cation, health services, agriculture and industry.King Fahd's legacy is not only buildings, roads, portsand airports, but transforming the country into acompetitive player in the modern world. despite theinternal and external challenges the Kingdom stillfaces, King Fahd prepared firm ground for hissuccessor Prince abdullah bin abdul aziz, de factoruler in the last years because of Fahd's illness, towhom the royal family pledged allegiance as Saudiarabia's new monarch.

King Fahd Bin abdulaziz al Saud



a conference broaching the issue of business andinvestment possibilities in Yemen was held byNUMOV in October 2005 at KfW banking group inBerlin. the event took place within the scope of thevisit of a Yemenite delegation headed by H.e. ahmed Mohamed Sofan, deputy Prime Ministerand Minister for Planning and internationalCooperation. He mentioned some fields providingnew opportunities for German companies to becomeinvolved in Yemen, such as the lNG sector with atotal investment of about three billion dollars and theelectricity and telecommunication sectors, whichsome German companies are already involved in.Cooperation with German companies also exists inother areas such as water and sanitation. dr. Mohammed al-Hamdi, deputy Minister for Water& Sanitation, emphasized the high demand forcleaning and preparation of water as well as distrib-ution of water throughout the country, requiring for-eign know-how and equipment.

although the new political situation in Iran causedsome uncertainty, the German Near and Middle eastassociation conducted a delegation trip to iran inNovember 2005 considering the long standing andtraditionally positive commercial relationshipbetween Germany and iran. the delegation focusedmainly on water, sewage, energy and waste. a largeinformation seminar on these sectors, a successfulmatch making bourse and meetings with ministryrepresentatives provided an insight into cooperationopportunities for German companies.

the accession of Saudi arabia to the WtO indecember 2005 was a further step to opening theKingdom's economy. By liberalising its economicsystem, Saudi arabia has been able to attractincreasing attention from foreign companies. theannual trade fair "Saudi Build" in riad provides for-eign companies with an excellent possibility toexplore the business opportunities in a country with



enormous infrastructure projects and industrialexpansion plans. therefore, NUMOV has repeated-ly advocated successfully the inclusion of "SaudiBuild" in the federal programme of international fairs.this enables German companies to present them-selves as part of a joint exhibition of German com-panies.

2005 came to a close with two successful economicdelegation trips to israel and Pakistan, carried out byNUMOV on behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology.

For NUMOV, the year 2006 started with the new edition of its Near and Middle East EconomicHandbook. it was published in english for the firsttime, making it accessible to an even broader audience.

2006



NUMOV's close connections to ministries, govern-ment agencies, and foreign and German diplomaticmissions were evident once again at the annualNear and Middle east Gala event of the association.Hosted by the KfW banking group, the event tookplace on 16th February in Berlin. the Gala dinnerwas attended by many business and political lead-ers including the Federal Minister of economics andtechnology, H.e. Michael Glos, as key note speak-er. it was an impressive acknowledgement ofNUMOV's position in the presence of almost thecomplete diplomatic corps from the region. allGerman ambassadors met their accredited col-leagues in the German capital.

the 79th "NUMOV-länderforum" on the premises ofrWe dea aG in Hamburg provided insights into theeconomic and political developments in iran, Saudiarabia and iraq. the meeting was attended by H.e.Paul Freiherr von Maltzahn, then Germanambassador to iran, H.e. dr. Gerhard enverSchrömbgens, German ambassador to Saudi arabiaat the time, and thomas Wülfing, then Counsellor ofthe German embassy in iraq. the three diplomatsshared their extensive knowledge and opinions withNUMOV members.

Near and Middle East Gala Event 2006

f.l.t.r.: dr. Peter Klaus, Member of the Board of KfW Bankengruppe, deputyChairman of the Board of NUMOV, H.e. Michael Glos, German FederalMinister of economics and technology, Martin Bay, Chairman of the Boardof Managing directors, dB ProjektBau, Chairman of the Board of NUMOV,H.e. Prof. dr. Ossama abdulmajed ali Shobokshi, ambassador of theKingdom of Saudi arabia to Germany



the "iran Oil and Gas Show 2006" achieved arecord number of international exhibitors. the high-est foreign participation at the fair came fromGermany, including more than 90 German compa-nies. due to the initiative of NUMOV, the exhibitionhas been part of the federal programme of intern-ational fairs for several years. For the companies,which formed the official German participation, thevisit to the stand of the National iranian Oil refiningand distribution Company (NiOrdC) was a definitehighlight. the visit was organised by NUMOV, whichcan look back to many years of successful workingrelations with Mohammad reza Nematzadeh, theformer President of the NPC. the German groupwas received by Nematzadeh in his new capacity aspresident of NiOrdC. Participants were given theopportunity to introduce their companies and theiractivities in iran. Nematzadeh briefly informed theGerman businessmen about the massive invest-ment programme of NiOrdC aiming at the expan-sion of iran's refining capacity. Moreover, he outlinedhis strategies to deal with the growing domesticdemand for petrol.

the issue of Water and Wastewater in the Middleeast was addressed at a conference held byNUMOV during the trade fair "Water Berlin" in april2006. Speakers from companies already engaged inthe field of water management in the Middle eastpresented their projects and experiences to an audi-ence of around 120 people. additionally, NUMOVhosted a round table discussion about the water sit-uation in Jordan.

From 5th to 7th May 2006, German Federal Minister ofeconomics and technology, H.e. Michael Glos, vis-ited Kuwait and the Uae – two of Germany's mostimportant trading partners in the arab World. He wasaccompanied by a large delegation of high-calibreGerman business executives, including severalMembers of the NUMOV Board. during the visit to



Kuwait, the Federal Minister was received by H.H.the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Sabah, and dis-cussed the improvement of economic relations withH.e. Yousef al Zalzalah, the Minister of Commerceand industry, H.e. Bader al-Humaidhi, the Ministerof Finance, and H.e. Sheikh ahmad al Fahad al-ahmad al Sabah, the Minister of energy. during hisstop in abu dhabi, he held political and economictalks with H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the deputy Prime Minister of the Uae, andwith H.H. Sheikh Hamed Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, theMinister of economics of the emirate abu dhabi.the Federal Minister was also received by H.H.Sheikha lubna al Qassimi, the Minister of economyof the Uae. during their talk, Sheikha lubnareferred to the positive development of bilateraltrade, growing from USd 2.6bn in 2002 to USd4.3bn in 2005. She stated that a free trade agree-ment between the GCC and the european Unionwould definitely boost trade further and spur bilater-al investment between the two countries.Furthermore, she emphasised the need for morejoint investments from both Germany and the Uae.the German Federal Minister underlined his gov-ernment's intention to continue to extend its goodrelations with the Uae. a few days later, H.H.Sheikha lubna al Qassimi attended the 3rd Uae-Germany Partnership Forum held in Munich from 9th

to 11th May 2006.

From 7th to 10th May 2006, a German delegation,organised by NUMOV in cooperation with the Bdiwithin the framework of the NMi, travelled to the thirdrebuild iraq exhibition 2006 in amman, Jordan.1,025 companies from 48 countries took part in theexhibition. By comparison, there were 1,000exhibitors from 44 countries in 2005. the twenty-fiveGerman delegation members took the opportunity todevelop as well as strengthen their business rela-tions with iraqi companies. the delegation was ledby Peter F. Mayr, Managing Partner of terramarGmbH and Member of the Board of NUMOV.



despite the unrest in afghanistan and setbacks inthe attempt to facilitate and establish peace in thecountry, a business delegation to Kabul was jointlyorganised by the Bdi and NUMOV within the frame-work of the NMi from 7th to 11th May 2006. the dele-gation of twenty-one participants was led by Hans-leopold von Winterfeld from the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, and accompanied inafghanistan by aiSa. an extensive programme wasoffered, providing a comprehensive overview of thesecurity situation, the economic structure, financingpossibilities, the investment climate as well as thebusiness framework and business partners. the del-egation was given the opportunity to visit someGerman projects and to share experiences withGerman and German-afghan companies. thus itreceived first-hand information on the opportunitiesand risks of the afghan market. apart from the phar-maceutical factory "Hochpharma" that has emergedout of the former Höchst Pharma plant, the buildingcentre (Baumarkt) of the German building contrac-tor, Henry liesche, was visited. Mr. liesche alsooperates a window factory in Kabul successfully.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, NUMOV organised avery successful business delegation to turkey from24th to 28th May 2006, focusing on the railway tech-nology supply industry. the delegation, comprisingforty-four participants, was led by Martin Bay,Chairman of the Board of Managing directors of dBProjektBau GmbH (German railway Group) andChairman of the Board of NUMOV. turkey revealedan enormous demand for new developments in rail-way infrastructure. the investment volume for theextension of the railway was estimated to be USd15.2bn. Contact and cooperation forums at thetCdd and the ankara Chamber of Commerceshowed a great interest in a closer cooperation withGermany.

German economic delegation to afghanistan



the German Near and Middle east association wasgreatly honoured by the readiness of formerChancellor Gerhard Schröder to take on therole of Honorary Chairman of NUMOV, following thedeath of Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski in February2005.

H.e. Gerhard Schröder enjoys an outstanding repu-tation in the Middle east. this is due primarily to hisuntiring advocacy of peace in iraq, but also to hissupport of a peaceful solution to the conflict betweenisrael and the Palestinians. H.e. Schröder has visit-ed the region many times; his destinations reachingfrom egypt to Pakistan. His extensive visit to theGulf countries in March 2005 is unparalleled. it wasthe first time a German Chancellor visited all sevencountries of the arabian Peninsular. this gesturewon particular respect for Germany in these coun-tries. during his chancellorship, Gerhard Schröderconsolidated Germany's partnership with our arabneighbours on the Mediterranean coast. Moreover,he improved Germany's cooperation with the coun-tries of the arabian Peninsula in all areas, includingculture, education and economics. H.e. GerhardSchröder's connection to the Middle east continueseven after his term of office as Federal Chancellor.this finds expression especially in his personalfriendships in the region, which have developed overmany years. in Gerhard Schröder, NUMOV hasfound an Honorary Chairman, who has been instru-mental in forming and developing Germany's dia-logue with the Middle east, and who knows how torepresent the strengths of the German economy in astrongly contested market.

On 29th May 2006, the Honorary Chairmanship washanded over to H.e. Gerhard Schröder, celebratedin a splendid festive event at the Federal ForeignOffice. the Foreign Minister of the Uae, H.H. Sheikh abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan, attend-ed the ceremonial act along with approximately 500other participants. the Federal Foreign Minister H.e.dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his congrat-

Former Chancellor H.E. Gerhard Schröder

becomes Honorary Chairman

of the Board of NUMOV

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, formerFederal Chancellor and HonoraryChairman of NUMOV

Participants on the occasion of theappointment of Gerhard Schröder asHonorary Chairman of the Board ofNUMOV



ulations to Gerhard Schröder for his acceptance ofthe Honorary Chairmanship. From the perspective ofGerman foreign policy, he emphasised the centraleconomic, political and cultural importance ofGermany's relations to the Near and Middle east.Furthermore, he expounded how German foreignpolicy is now able in its cooperation with the nationsof the Near and Middle east to build on what wasconfirmed, expanded and in part newly establishedby H.e. Gerhard Schröder during his time as FederalChancellor. in this context he described Schröder'sdedication to improve relations with the countries ofthe Middle east as groundbreaking in the best senseof the word. this is as true of the cooperation in theeconomic and cultural spheres as it is for the politi-cal sphere. today, it is clearer than ever how impor-tant Gerhard Schröder's promotion of the integrationof the nations of the arab peninsular into interna-tional politics and the cooperation with them as part-ners is, Steinmeier said. during his recent journey tosix of the Gulf countries, it was evident to him thatmuch of the trust that Germany, that europe has

f.l.t.r.: Martin Bay, Chairman of the Board of NUMOV, Chairman of theBoard of Managing directors, dB ProjektBau (deutsche Bahn Group), H.e.Sheikh abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan, Minister for Foreign affairs of theUnited arab emirates, H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Honorary Chairman of theBoard of NUMOV, former Chancellor of the Federal republic of Germany,dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Minister for Foreign affairs



now gained in the region and much of what makesup the foundation of political cooperation betweenGermany and the Gulf region, is connected with thename of H.e. Gerhard Schröder. according to dr.Steinmeier, Schröder consistently tried to communi-cate publicly that even in difficult times, Germanywants to be and will be a reliable partner for all thenations of the Middle east. that is why, in his opin-ion, it makes sense for Schröder to continue to applyhis knowledge and experience to his new role asHonorary Chairman of the German Near and Middleeast association to the benefit of Germany's coop-eration with the region.

dr. Steinmeier stated that the Federal Foreign Officeand NUMOV share the common goal of supportingGerman companies in their economic relationshipsto the Middle east. the dialogue with and the sup-port of German business is an important part of theforeign policy agenda. Foreign policy can and must,in his opinion, act as a door opener for business andwherever necessary, perhaps as a guidepost aswell. Steinmeier underlined that together businessand politics can have stabilising and moderatingeffects. He pronounced that doors that have oncebeen opened must also be kept open. in this respectpartners such as NUMOV are in particular demand.as a link between Germany and the Middle east, hesaid, NUMOV successfully campaigns for a betterunderstanding of the Orient among the German pub-lic, supports the involvement of German companiesin the region, builds bridges for German business,and promotes Germany's economic relations withthe region. thus, NUMOV contributes substantiallyto the dialogue with the region's people and hasbecome an important partner in the relationshipbetween German business and politics, and one ofthe most fascinating and important of europe'sneighbouring regions.



in his celebratory speech Martin Bay highlightedsome of Schröder's numerous milestones in therelationship between Germany and the Middle east.Countries such as egypt, Saudi arabia and theUnited arab emirates – which hold special impor-tance politically and economically as long-term part-ners of Germany in the region – were the destina-tions of his extensive trip to the Middle east in 2003.Schröder's stay in abu dhabi and dubai was the firstvisit of a German Federal Chancellor since HelmutSchmidt in 1981. Furthermore, his talks with thepresident of the time and founder of the Uae, SheikhZayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, and his sons, SheikhHamdan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed alNahyan, constituted the starting point of the strate-gic partnership which he announced together withVice Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan in april 2004during the latter's visit to Germany. the United arabemirates are the most important country for Germanexports to the arab world, ahead even of Saudiarabia. the country enjoys immense internationalrespect for the impressive modernisation achievedin only a few decades. the strategic partnership ini-tiated by H.e. Gerhard Schröder demonstrated thedesire of both states to intensify their economic rela-tionship beyond the trade relationship already inexistence and to act together politically in a widevariety of issues.

H.e. Gerhard Schröder enjoys great popularity in thearab states. Germany's arab partners value hispolitical courage and determination to act in accor-dance with his convictions. the tireless efforts ofSchröder's government to achieve a peaceful so -lution in iraq and establish peace between israelisand Palestinians, is much appreciated in the region.there is still a long way to go before all nations in theMiddle east enjoy economic prosperity in peace andwith secure borders. if the courage to take the firststeps lacks, the above goal can hardly be achievedand remains a distant hope. throughout his longpolitical career, H.e. Gerhard Schröder, however,repeatedly proved his readiness to pursue such a

H.e. Sheikh abdullah bin Zayed alNahyan, Minister for Foreign affairs of theUnited arab emirates, and H.e. GerhardSchröder, Honorary Chairman of theBoard of NUMOV, former Chancellor ofthe Federal republic of Germany



policy, despite the risks associated with it. during thefirst visit of a German Chancellor to libya, after theeU sanctions against the North african state werelifted in October 2004, H.e. Schröder signalled thatthe West valued the start of the political and eco-nomic liberalisation of the country. Moreover, hestated that Germany was ready to support libya onthis path. as a Mediterranean country, libya, just likeother North african countries, plays an important rolein efforts to stabilise the region, which Schröder sup-ported along with other european governments.after his trip to libya and algeria, Schröder's exten-sive visit to all seven countries of the arabPeninsula, as mentioned above, represented anoth-er milestone in German-arab relations, strengthen-ing ties with the region politically, economically andculturally. What continues to be of outstandingimportance is Schröder's readiness to visit our part-ners in the region time and again, to listen to them,learn from them and to confirm our cooperationthrough joint plans and projects.

in his speech to the members of the Near andMiddle east association and the invited guests, H.e.Gerhard Schröder said that he felt honouredto take on the position left by Hans-JürgenWischnewski. He declared that he intended to con-tinue to work in the same way as his predecessor ina region which is of great economic, political and cul-tural importance for Germany and europe.

in economic terms, H.e. Gerhard Schröder statedthat he not only sees excellent chances for Germanbusiness in the process of economic modernisationand diversification currently taking place in manycountries of the region. the strategic energy part-nerships are also of central importance for theeconomies of europe. a strategy to secure the sup-ply of natural resources is essential to economicdevelopment and is in the interest of both the sup-plying countries as well as the purchasing countries.Yet it cannot be achieved by a single country alone,



Schröder said. according to his analysis the maindifficulties are conflicts in the region and the desta-bilisation of countries. Nevertheless, he sees newand interesting prospects for investment and coop-eration between europe and the Middle east in theexpansion of the regional infrastructure for explo-ration as well as for diversification. in particular thetransport of liquid gas over large distances offersprofitable business opportunities.

even more attention must be paid to cultural coop-eration, Schröder pronounced. He opposes the ideaof a war of culture. He declared that it is crucial tosupport cultural exchange and to fight for the main-tenance of cultural understanding through culturalcooperation and dialogue. equally he advisedeuropeans to consider the enormous contributionislam has made to the civilisation of our continent.Schröder urged the audience to avoid generalisa-tions and to acknowledge the heterogeneity of islamas well as the variety of oriental culture and society.Moreover, he reinforced his view that turkey consti-tutes an important pillar in the bridge between theWestern and the islamic worlds. He considers theaccession of turkey to the european Union animportant step, not only because it is an old promisethat should be kept, and not just for economic rea-sons, but most of all for cultural and political reasons.

in view of the political importance of the region,Schröder underlined the fact that europe is a neigh-bour of the Middle east, which is why the stability ofthe region is of crucial interest to us. Peace anddevelopment, he added, are complementary mea-sures. Without peace, there can be no development.equally without development, that is, without animprovement of living standards and life opportuni-ties, peace remains impossible. Schröder urged thatindividuals must sense that the renouncement ofviolence is rewarded by a peace dividend and a visible improvement of the population's day to daysituation.



according to Schröder, the future development ofour global existence will be decided in the region ofthe Middle east – politically, economically and cultur-ally. Openness and dialogue must therefore beestablished on both sides.

a Foreign trade Conference took place in the after -noon of the celebrations at the Federal ForeignOffice. ambassadors and high-ranking officials ofthe German embassies in the region as well as rep-resentatives of the Federal Foreign Office discussedthe current economic situation. they focused onbusiness and investment opportunities in severalcountries of the Near and Middle east, includingYemen, iraq, turkey, israel, Jordan and Syria.

dr. Peter ammon, then General director ofeconomic affairs and Sustainable development atthe Federal Foreign Office, recalled a similar eventon the occasion of the 70th anniversary of theGerman Near and Middle east association in 2004.in his wel-coming speech, he said, that during hisvisit of six Gulf countries in the previous week, herecognised an enormous dynamic, surpassing evenChina and india. He urged the German industry tomake use of the immense business opportunities inthe region. Furthermore, he referred to recent posi-tive developments in the Middle east, such as theaccession of the Gulf countries to the World tradeOrganisation (WtO), which has promoted internalreform processes and the integration into the multi-lateral trading system.

Martin Bay, Chairman of NUMOV and Chairman ofthe Board of Managing directors of dB internationalemphasised that the right time has come for invest-ments in the Near and Middle east. analysing thesevere need for job creation and increased compet-itiveness, he referred to the private sector as themain driving force for economic growth and devel-opment. He stressed that the region has to focus onkey issues, such as decentralisation, privatisationand liberalisation. While economic growth is still

Foreign Trade Conference 2006

at the Federal Foreign Office

representatives of German embassiesand Consulates General in the countriesof the Near and Middle east, fourth fromthe right: dr. Peter ammon, directorGeneral for economic affairs andSustainable development of the FederalForeign Office



mainly generated in the hydrocarbon sector, thediversification of the economy constitutes the bigchallenge for the future. With regard to bilateral eco-nomic relations, Bay outlined the great businesspotential in some sectors, such as water, sewerage,desalination plants and medical technology.

the celebrations on the occasion of the appointmentof H.e. Gerhard Schröder, the former FederalChancellor, to the Honorary Chairmanship of theGerman Near and Middle east association on 29th

May 2006 culminated in a festive dinner in theatrium of deutsche Bank in Berlin. the event, host-ed by the bank, which was represented by JürgenFitschen, Board Member of NUMOV and Member ofthe Group executive Committee of deutsche Bank,was attended by 250 German and foreign guests.among them were former Federal Ministers, high-ranking government officials, German ambassadorsand foreign diplomats in Germany.

in his short address, H.e. Gerhard Schröder calledhis predecessor, Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski, a greatpersonality. He praised his far-sightedness and hisachievements, which earned him admiration andrespect in the Middle east. We are grateful and willhonour his legacy, he said. Schröder emphasisedthat he intended to strengthen the good relationsGermany traditionally has to the countries of theregion too.

Festive Dinner on theoccasion of the appointment of H.E. Gerhard Schröder asHonorary Chairman ofNUMOV

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, former Federal Chancellor and HonoraryChairman of NUMOV

Jürgen Fitschen,Board Member ofNUMOV and Mem -ber of the Groupexecutive Committeeof deutsche Bank



NUMOV's Annual General Meeting 2006 equallytook place on 29th May 2006 at the Federal ForeignOffice. in addition to the appointment of H.e.Gerhard Schröder as Honorary Chairman ofNUMOV, the annual General Meeting endorsed newBoard Members. Herbert Bodner, Chairman of theBoard of Bilfinger Berger aG, took Carlos Möller'splace on the NUMOV Board. Jan Kupfer, executiveBoard Member of Bayerische Hypo- undVereinsbank aG, took over the mandate of ronaldSeilheimer. Further new Board Members responsi-ble for water, energy and logistics respectively, threeissues of major importance to the Middle east, wereapproved of, namely the Chairman of Berlinwasserinternational aG and former Secretary of Statedieter ernst, as well as dr. Jochen Weise, Memberof the Board of e.ON-ruhrgas aG and dr. MonikaWulf-Mathies, executive Vice President of deutschePost World Net. as a former eU-Commissioner, dr.Wulf-Mathies also represents an important enrich-ment to the board on a european level. NUMOV wasable to record the best result since its foundation forthe ninth year in a row. this was reflected in themember ship statistics showing considerable growth.

NUMOV’s events of May 29th were followed by the8th German World Bank Forum from 1st to 2nd June2006 in Hamburg, dedicated to the Middle east andits relations to Germany. the World Bank Forumwas hosted by the Senate of Hamburg, the WorldBank and the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce.Moreover, it was supported by various partnersincluding the German Near and Middle eastassociation. Paul Wolfowitz, former President of theWorld Bank, held the keynote speech. He attendedthe conference together with his senior staff as wellas many ministers and high-ranking officials from theMiddle east and Germany. the event was attendedby top-level representatives of government, busi-ness, academia, and the media from Germany andthe Middle east. they convened to discuss themajor developments transforming the MeNa (Middleeast North africa) region.

Middle East & Germany:Change & Opportunities

f.l.t.r.: Klaus langemann, departmentHead New Business Caspian region &Middle east Wintershall aG, Nesreen M.Sideek Barwari, Fellow, institute ofPolitics, Harvard University, formerMinister for Municipalities and PublicWorks of iraq, Martin Bay, Chairman ofthe NUMOV Board, Chairman of theBoard of Managing directors, dBinternational, Jamal Majid Bin thaniah,Vice President, dubai Ports World



Martin Bay, Chairman of the Board of the GermanNear and Middle east association, spoke about tran-sitions in the MeNa region at a plenary session andmoderated a discussion about energy, water, andinfrastructure. He underlined the growing impor-tance of the region for the world economy and par-ticularly for europe. Furthermore, he described thestrong economic heterogeneity that the MeNaregion displays. the region contains countries thatreceive international development assistance, aswell as countries that act as investors in Germanyand other western industrialised nations. there areenormous differences in income per capita betweenthose countries possessing vast natural resources,such as those of the Gulf Cooperation Council, andthose countries whose natural resources are negligi-ble relative to their population figures. this hetero-geneity was further illuminated in special meetingsduring the conference, focusing on governance,trade and investment, health, education and labour,infrastructure, women, and media. From an eco-nomic perspective, the main question raised duringthe forum was how to manage sustained economicgrowth and job creation for a growing labour force. itbecame clear, that in order to achieve these goals,ongoing investment is equal in importance to structur-al reforms, which include transparency of decisionmaking, protection of physical and intellectual proper-ty rights, taxation and labour market regulations etc.Ministers from the region were present at the confer-ence, providing helpful examples of efforts and suc-cesses to this end. among them were H.H. Sheikhalubna al Qasimi, Minister of economy of the Unitedarab emirates, and H.e. dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin,Minister of investment of the arab republic of egypt.

the 80th "NUMOV-länderforum" took place inCologne hosted by Koelnmesse international.NUMOV members used the opportunity to discussthe economic developments in iran and iraq.Moreover, questions were raised regarding theimpact of the political crisis in lebanon and its impli-cations for the economic situation of the country andthe neighbouring states.



On 24th august 2006, NUMOV hosted a group ofyoung diplomats from the islamic world at a recep-tion in Berlin. this visit of young diplomats, organ-ised for the fifth time, is especially designed fordiplomats from the islamic world. it aims at improv-ing relations and strengthening bonds betweenGermany and the islamic countries. the group wasgiven the opportunity to visit major companies andbusiness associations as well as cities such asHamburg, Mainz and Brussels, where they visitedthe NatO headquarters and met representatives ofthe eU commission. the participants additionallywere hosted by the State Secretary, reinhard Stuth,during their stay in Hamburg. Furthermore, theywere received in Mainz by Joachim Hörster,NUMOV Board Member, Member of the GermanFederal Parliament and Chairman of theParliamentary Committee on arab Countries.

in September 2006, a NUMOV information seminaron the opportunities and challenges facing the Nearand Middle eastern economies was hosted by theKfW banking group at the bank's newly restoredconference hall in Frankfurt. the event was com-bined with a preparatory seminar for the forthcomingdelegation trip to the United arab emirates. in thelight of NUMOV's plans for a delegation visit to abudhabi focusing on environmental technologies, thissector was particularly examined.

German Federal Minister of economics andtechnology H.e. Michael Glos visited riyadh on14th/15th November 2006, to open the 16th session ofthe Saudi – German Joint Commission on economicand technical Cooperation. He was accompanied bymore than one hundred German businesspeople.the Saudi delegation was led by H.e. dr. ibrahim al-assaf, Saudi Minister of Finance. On the occasion ofthe session of the Saudi-German Joint Commission,the 14th session of the Saudi German Businessdialogue (SGBd) took place with the two Co-Chairmen, Khaled Juffali, Vice Chairman andManaging Partner, e.a. Juffali and Brothers, and



Martin Bay, Chairman of the Board of NUMOV,Chairman of the Board of Managing directors,deutsche Bahn international. in 1985 the SaudiGerman Business dialogue (SGBd) was established by the German Near and Middle eastassociation (NUMOV) and the Saudi Ministry ofFinance within the context of the Saudi-GermanJoint Commission. the SGBd, as a long-standingforum for bilateral cooperation, proved to be aneffective platform for the discussion of strategies andtools to initiate more activities. Juffali and Bay bothaddressed the low level of engagement of Germancompanies in Saudi arabia, despite the opportunitiesin various sectors such as oil, gas, petrochemicals,infrastructure and it. Special emphasis was laid onmobilising small and medium-sized German compa-nies to become active in the Kingdom. the atten-dance of one hundred delegates demonstrated thekeen interest in the region. insufficient knowledgeabout the Kingdom, however, has prevented manyfrom entering this promising market. therefore, theSGBd considered it one of its major obligations tosupport more German companies in their develop-ment of sustainable activities in Saudi arabia and tohelp to promote the public image of the kingdom inGermany.

On the occasion of the 6th session of theUae-German Joint Commission in december 2006, dr. Bernhard Pfaffenbach, State Secretary at theGerman Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology, paid a visit to the United arab emirates(Uae). there he held discussions about ways ofintensifying bilateral economic relations with H.H.Sheikha lubna al Qasimi, Minister of economy ofthe Uae, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed al-Nahyan, deputy Prime Minister of the Uae, andHareb al darmaki, executive director of the abudhabi investment authority.

a seminar on the legal aspects of doing businesswith Middle eastern countries was held by NUMOVon 8th december 2006 in Berlin. the seminar was

H.e. dr. ibrahim al-assaf, Minister ofFinance of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia,and H.e. Michael Glos, Minister ofeconomics and technology of theFederal republic of Germany



hosted by the dresdner Bank and held in the bank'selegant building situated adjacent to theBrandenburger Gate in Berlin's historical bankingdistrict. it was attended by more than 90 participants.the overall objective of the seminar was to illumi-nate some of the characteristic legal issues relatedto business activities in the region. Former ambas-sador Bernhard von der Planitz, Member of theadvisory Board of NUMOV, who worked as chief ofprotocol at the Federal Foreign Office until July2006, chaired the seminar.

On 14th January 2007 the Emirati GermanFriendship Society (eGFS) was officially launchedby H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed al Nahyan,deputy Prime Minister of the Uae, and H.e. GerhardSchröder, former Federal Chancellor of Germanyand Honorary Chairman of NUMOV, during a cere-mony in abu dhabi. Both founding members initiat-ed the eGFS and are the Honorary Chairmen of thesociety. the eGFS aims to enhance bilateralexchange of information and ideas, in order to makesynergies between economy on the one hand, andresearch, education and culture on the other hand,more useful and efficient. it is operated on theGerman side by NUMOV. the founding ceremonywas held in the presence of various dignitaries of theUae, among them H.e. Sultan Bin Nasser alSuwaidi, Governor of the Central Bank, Yousef BinOmeir, CeO of adNOC, and Khalifa al Kindi,Chairman of the National Bank of abu dhabi. amongthe German delegation present at the ceremonywere Hartmut Mehdorn, Chairman of the Board ofdeutsche Bahn (German railway Group), MartinBay, Chairman of the Board of dB international andChairman of the Board of NUMOV, Bernd romanski,Member of the Management Board of HochtiefFacility Management GmbH, dr. ekkehard Schulz,Chairman of the Board of thyssenKrupp aG, anderik Bettermann, Chairman of Germany'sinternational Broadcasting Service deutsche Welle.H.H. Sheikha lubna al Qasimi, Minister of economyand Planning of the Uae, held the inauguration

2007

Participants of the first meeting of theemirati German Friendship Society



speech during the dinner hosted by H.H. SheikhHamdan Bin Zayed al Nahyan. Schröder stressedthe importance of bilateral cooperation in all sectorsand announced that he intended to promote a dia-logue in the fields of culture and science.

the visit of a large German delegation focusing onUae's environmental sector was conducted byNUMOV on behalf of the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology from 27th to 31st January2007. it revealed that German companies are keento contribute to the launch of new, environmentallyfriendly technologies in the Middle east. this wasequally evident at the fairs "Water Middle east 2007"in Bahrain and "environment 2007" in abu dhabi.the two fairs were included in the federal pro-gramme of international fairs on the initiative ofNUMOV. the issue of environmental protection andthe use of renewable energies recurred during thevisit of Chancellor angela Merkel to egypt, Saudiarabia, Uae and Kuwait, and was discussed ondifferent occasions.

the visit of Chancellor H.e. angela Merkel to theMiddle east in February 2007 was accompanied byan economic delegation led by H.e. Michael Glos,Federal Minister of economics and technology. thedelegation signalled that Germany is a strong andreliable economic partner. Simultaneously holdingthe presidency of the european Council and the G-8, has made Germany a much sought-after partnerfor dealing with some of the challenges facing theMiddle east. the first stop of Merkel's tour was thearab republic of egypt, where she met HosniMubarak, President of egypt. Of special interest toGerman companies is the fact that egypt has start-ed to develop renewable energies as an alternativeto fossil energy sources. Merkel announced that thefederal government will support an education andscience centre for the development of renewableenergies. in addition she will push the so-called

Visit of abu dhabi Municipality, on the leftBadr al Harahesh, Project Manager ofPrivatisation of Solid Waste



Mubarak-Kohl-Programme, an initiative supportingthe introduction of the German dual system of train-ing. in Saudi arabia, dr. Merkel praised the peaceinitiatives of King abdullah on the occasion of themeeting of representatives of the Palestinian organ-isations Hamas and Fatah in Mecca. Furthermore,dr. Merkel referred to the Saudi financial support forthe reconstruction of the lebanon. the political situ-ation of the Middle east was also a central topic ofMerkel's visit to the United arab emirates. dr. Merkeldrew a parallel between europe and the search forpeace in the Middle east. She referred to theeuropean peace policy as one successful examplein her speech at the emirates Centre for StrategicStudies and research. Merkel expressed her hopesoon to finish negotiations about the free tradeagreement between the european Union and theGulf Cooperation Council. as the last stop dr. Merkelvisited Kuwait. With iraq as its neighbour, Kuwait isespecially interested in developments there, hopingthat peace will be reached. Merkel supported thiswish, promising that the european Union will doeverything within its powers to support the politicaland economic rebuilding of the country. Kuwait withits large oil reserves is an interesting economic part-ner for Germany. dr. Merkel was very pleased thatKuwait is starting to invest in renewable energies, afield where German know-how holds a leading posi-tion worldwide. Moreover, Kuwait is one of thelargest arab investors in Germany.

in the middle of February, a one-day business sem-inar on iran took place. it was organised by NUMOVand focused on the present economic situation, therecent Foreign investment Protection law as well asiran's growing privatisation efforts. additionally, itexamined the iranian market which still offers anenormous untapped potential. the seminar, hostedby the "europäisch-iranische Handelsbank aG" inHamburg – a specialised bank for foreign tradetransactions with iran and with more than 30 yearsof experience –, attracted a large number of German

f.l.t.r.: H.e. Michael Glos, Federal Ministerof economics and technology, H.e.angela Merkel, Federal Chancellor ofGermany, and H.e. Nasir al-Muhammadal-ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah, PrimeMinister of the State of Kuwait



company representatives from across the country.UN Security Council sanctions and mounting inter-national pressure caused a great demand for infor-mation on risks and opportunities regarding busi-ness with iran. the seminar was attended by a high-ranking iranian delegation. it was led by iran'sdeputy Foreign Minister of economic affairs, alirezaSheikh attar. H.e. Mohammad Mehdi akhondzadeh,the ambassador of the islamic republic of iran inGermany, reinhard Stuth, State Secretary,Commissioner for Federal, european and Foreignaffairs of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,dr. Mohammed Jafar Mojarrad, deputy Governor ofthe Central Bank of iran, dr. Gholam reza HeidariKord-Zangeneh, deputy Minister of economicaffairs and Finance and Chairman of the Board ofthe Privatisation Organisation, Mohammad Hadirahabari, Managing director and Board Member ofNPC international, ali Naqi Khamoushi, thePresident of iran Chamber of Commerce, industriesand Mines, and Marc Neumann, Chairman of theBoard of Managing directors of MaN Ferrostaalindustrieanlagen GmbH and Member of the Board ofNUMOV, gave an overview of recent developmentsin iran's economy and bilateral economic relations.

the 81st "NUMOV-länderforum" met on 9th February2007 at the Headquarters of the Germanischerlloyd aG in Hamburg. a large number of NUMOVmember companies participated to discuss the cur-rent economic and business issues in the Near andMiddle east, to exchange information, and to shareexperiences. rainer Schöndube, board member ofGermanischer lloyd aG, a certification companyoperating internationally, underlined the growingimportance of the Near and Middle east for his com-pany. among the special guests of the meeting wereGerald Wolf from the Federal Foreign Office, dr.Gabriela Guellil, Head of the economic Section ofthe German embassy in ankara, and dr. Peter-Christof Blomeyer, Head of the economic Section ofthe German embassy in riyadh. dr. Guellil and

alireza Sheikh attar,deputy ForeignMinister for eco -nomic affairs of iran

dr. Gholam rezaHeidari Kord-Zangeneh, deputyMinister of ec -onomic affairs andFinance and Chair -man of the Board ofPrivatization Organi -sation



dr. Blomeyer briefed the participants on the recentpolitical and economic developments of their hostcountries. dr. Blomeyer drew attention to Saudiarabia's improved investment climate and the ambi-tious investment plans of the Kingdom. dr. Guellilhighlighted the growing importance of turkey as atrading partner for the eU and its strategic role con-cerning the supply of energy. NUMOV members alsodiscussed the possible tightening of economic sanc-tions on iran and its impacts on German exports.Furthermore, the energy security question and thegrowing role of China and india in the region werediscussed.

On 19th March 2007, the State Chancellery of theFree State of Saxony, the Saxony Business Council(Wirtschaftsrat Sachsen) and NUMOV organised aseminar on business opportunities in the Near andMiddle east in dresden. Hermann Winkler, Ministerof State and Chief of the State Chancellery, hostedone hundred company representatives from a widerange of business sectors in the beautiful rooms ofthe State Chancellery of Saxony in the region's cap-ital. Minister Hermann Winkler, Helene rang, CeOof NUMOV, Martin Bay, and H.e. Prof. dr. OsamaShobokshi, ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudiarabia, expounded the latest business develop-ments in the Middle east and the increasing busi-ness activities of Saxon enterprises with their widerange of technological know-how in the MeNaregion. an insider-view of how to do business in theNear and Middle east was provided by dr. FrankMüller, CeO of Glashütte Original, a traditional andsuccessful Saxon manufacturer of high qualitywatches. Karl Wendling, Head of the Foreign tradelaw and Control and Middle east CooperationSection at the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, elaborated on the vari-ous fields of potential economic cooperationbetween Germany and the Middle east. He focusedon petrochemistry, steal production, environmentand waste water technology, health care andtourism.

f.l.t.r.: Martin Bay, Managing director,deutsche Bahn international / Germanrailway Group, Chairman of the NUMOVBoard, Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV,Hermann Winkler, Minister of State andChief of the State Chancellery of the FreeState Saxony, H.e. Prof. dr. OssamaShobokshi, ambassador of the Kingdomof Saudi arabia to the Federal republic ofGermany



the necessary information on how to establish andmaintain such relations and co-operations from afinancial point of view was contributed by dr. NorbertKloppenburg, Head of KfW Banking Group. Wolf r.Schwippert, attorney at law, provided information onthe legal conditions of business in the Near andMiddle east.

On 28th March 2007, German entrepreneurs, invitedby NUMOV, had the opportunity to get to know thework and the newest programmes of the deutscheinvestitions- und entwicklungsgesellschaft (deG) inCologne. in addition, they received information onbusiness conditions and opportunities in thePalestinian territories by Jörg ranau, German rep-resentative to ramallah, in preparation of a delega-tion visit of Palestinian entrepreneurs to Germany.

NUMOV's first German Middle East BusinessRound Table for national and international mem-bers took place in Berlin on 2nd april 2007. Numerousambassadors welcomed the invitation of the Nearand Middle east association to attend this importantevent hosted by dr. Norbert Kloppenburg from theKfW banking group. their enthusiastic responsecontributed to the great success of the meeting forboth the participating companies and the respectiveMeNa countries. among the participants were: H.e.alaa a. Hussain al-Hashimy, ambassador of therepublic of iraq; H.e. Hussein Omran, ambassadorof the Syrian arab republic; H.e. Khalifa ali issa al-Harthy, ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman; H.e.Mohamed abdelhay elorabi, ambassador of thearab republic of egypt; H.e. Mohammed rachadBouhlal, ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco;abdahmed Saleh Mohamed Yaffai, Counsellor of theembassy of the republic of Yemen; and Hael al-Fahoum, General delegate to the Palestinianterritories.



the ambassadors, state representatives and inter-national NUMOV members, who were present at themeeting, gave a brief overview of the currenteconomic situation in the region and discussed pos-sible means of cooperation. ahmet eren, Presidentof the Board of directors of eren Holding a.S.,emphasised the prosperous historical partnershipbetween Germany and turkey, and suggested tohold the next German Middle east Business roundtable in istanbul.

the 13th German-turkish Cooperation Council tookplace on 16th april 2007. it was held in the context ofthe Hannover Messe, opened by German FederalChancellor angela Merkel and recep tayyiberdogan on 15th april. the Council was combinedwith a high-level "Business Summit", which wasattended by representatives from both the privateand the public sector. Out of the 6,000 participants ofthe Hannover Messe coming from 60 nations, 270were turkish companies - representing turkey as anemerging industrial nation at the world's largestindustrial fair. turkey displayed a very different pro-file compared to 10 years ago, when a small numberof companies exhibited their products in Hannover.Prime Minister erdogan and Chancellor Merkel bothreaffirmed their commitment further to enhance eco-nomic relations. during the "Business Summit"Sigmar Gabriel, Federal German Minister ofenvironment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety,highlighted the potential for cooperation in the fieldsof energy and environmental protection. For theturkish Government, State Minister ali Babacan pro-vided information on investment possibilities inenergy and infrastructure.

First NUMOV - German Middle east Business round table



the enormous German participation at the 12th iraninternational Oil, Gas and Petrochemical exhibition(iran Oil Show) in tehran from 18th to 22nd april 2007demonstrated that iran remains a major long-termgrowth market with ample oil and gas reserves,despite political tensions. the number of Germanexhibitors at iran's biggest industrial fair hasin creased continuously over the years, reaching anew record this year with an impressive 128exhibitors. as in previous years the official Germanparticipation was supported by NUMOV.

For the first time in its history NUMOV, on behalf ofthe German Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology, welcomed a business delegation fromthe Palestinian territories from 24th to 28th april 2007.the delegation was led by Bassem Khoury,President of the Palestinian Federation of industries(PFi). it was accompanied by Jörg ranau, Germanrepresentative to the Palestinian territories. the fif-teen company representatives of the Palestinian del-egation represented a remarkable variety of busi-ness sectors, ranging from product trading, industry,medical supplies to investment projects in educationand tourism, agro-industry, real estate, infrastructuredevelopment and investment.

the construction sector in the arab Gulf States wasat the centre of a conference organised by NUMOVat the end of april 2007 during the Munichinternational trade Fair "bauma 2007", the world'sbiggest trade fair for construction machinery, build-ing material machines and construction equipment.Benefiting from high oil profits, construction activitiesin the arab Gulf States have been thriving spectacu-larly. therefore, NUMOV held this conference focus-ing on the challenges and opportunities of the con-struction markets in the countries of the GulfCooperation Council (GCC). it was chaired by Berndromanski, Chairman of Hochtief FacilityManagement GmbH, and deputy Chairman of the

Business delegation from the Palestinianterritories



German Near and Middle east association. in viewof the current construction boom in the GCC coun-tries, romanski called on German companies not tomiss the opportunity to participate in the ambitiousand visionary projects on the arab Peninsula.reports delivered during the conference confirmedthe daring and speed of the construction activities inthe arab Gulf States, as outlined by romanski.representatives of several NUMOV members, wellexperienced in the Middle east construction busi-ness, shared their views on the GCC markets withthe audience.

More than 200 guests attended NUMOV's ForeignTrade Conference at the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology on 11th May 2007.dagmar Wöhrl, Parliamentary State Secretary of theFederal Ministry of economics and technology,gave her assurance that the Federal Ministry willcontinue to support the modernisation and diversifi-cation of Near and Middle eastern economies bymeans of bilateral investment promotion and protec-tion treaties and visits to the region by German polit-ical leaders. Wöhrl highlighted the importance of theconclusion of the negotiations between the eU andthe Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) concerning afree trade zone, and the cooperation with the GulfStates within the WtO.

in accordance with State Secretary Wöhrl, MartinBay, Chairman of the Board of Managing directorsof deutsche Bahn international, and Chairman ofNUMOV, referred to his recent visits to the Near andMiddle east, during which he personally experi-enced the development and progress of the coun-tries, due to the steady growth of their economies.Bay expressed his opinion, that there is a window ofopportunities for a length of three to five years. Hestrongly encouraged German companies to engageactively in the region. the region will not wait for us,he urged, which is why it is important to seize the ini-tiative now. although 'Made in Germany' is still high-ly regarded in the region, he believes it does not suf-

dagmar Wöhrl, Parliamentary StateSecretary of the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology

Foreign Trade Conference 2007



fice to deliver plants and machinery only. Germanywould be well-advised to engage in political, socio-economic and cultural fields too, he said.

thomas Wohlwill, PricewaterhouseCoopers aG(PwC), provided information on export credit guar-antees. Such guarantees provide security forexports in terms of (economic) buyer risks and (polit-ical) country risks. Joachim Steffens from theFederal Ministry of economics and technology pro-vided information on investment guarantees, whichprotect foreign direct investments against politicalrisks. Stefan rolle, from the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, presented the systemof German Chambers of Commerce in the Near andMiddle east, and Martin Kalhöfer introduced theGerman Office for Foreign trade (bfai). dr. MartinHerrenknecht, Chairman of the Board ofHerrenknecht aG and deputy Chairman of theBoard of NUMOV, shared his experiences doingbusiness in the Near and Middle east with the audience.

the Annual General Meeting 2007 of the GermanNear and Middle east association also took place atthe Federal Ministry of economics and technologyin Berlin on 11th May 2007. the following new boardmembers were elected. dr. Norbert Kloppenburg,Member of the Board of KfW banking group, tookover the position of deputy Chairman of the NUMOVBoard from dr. Peter Klaus. the latter is leaving theBoard of KfW banking group due to his retirementand has joined the Board of trustees of the GermanOrient Foundation. dr. Martin Herrenknecht,Chairman of the Board of Herrenknecht aG, wasequally elected deputy Chairman of the Board ofNUMOV. erik Bettermann, Chairman of deutscheWelle, Germany's international Broadcaster, pro-ducing tV, radio and internet services in Germanand numerous other languages for people in othercountries, was approved of as a Member of theBoard for the first time, as was Marc Neumann, the



Chairman of the Board of Managing directors ofMaN Ferrostaal industrieanlagen GmbH. in 2007,the association was able to record the best resultsince its foundation for the tenth year in a row, as isreflected in the membership statistics. Once again,the association recorded another net growth in itsmembership numbers, welcoming more than 150new NUMOV members.

in the evening of 11th May 2007, NUMOV's GermanNear and Middle East Gala Event 2007 took placein Berlin hosted by Porsche aG. it was attended by250 German and foreign guests, among them high-ranking government officials, German ambassadorsworking in the region and foreign diplomats active inGermany. Commissioner H.e. Günter Verheugen,the Vice President of the european Commission incha-rge of enterprise and industry, addressed theguests of the German Near and Middle east Galaevent 2007 on the subject of "the eU, the Middleeast and the Mediterranean: a key challenge of the21st Century". His speech demonstrated that europeis not only aware of the challenges that arise from itsproximity to the Near and Middle east. it equallyrecognises the opportunities and is willing to acceptboth, and benefit from them.

Verheugen stressed the exceeding importance ofthe Barcelona process and its great potential forstrengthening the relations with europe'sMediterranean neighbours in order to build a net-work of friends, and an area of stability and securityaround europe. Verheugen outlined his vision, thatthe states of the southern and easternMediterranean region achieve access to theeuropean Union comparable to the status of Norwayor Switzerland. they could then receive full accessto and participation in the core policies of theeuropean Union, which would offer them assistance,and access to european programmes. in return itcould expect that they continue their political andeconomic reforms step by step and adhere to demo-

H.e. Günter Verheugen, Vice President ofthe european Commission

German Near and MiddleEast Gala Event 2007



cratic principles. according to Verheugen, al-thoughthis is a long-term process, it should never-thelessstart immediately. regarding turkey, he stressedthat the eU needs turkey, and turkey needs the eU.in his opinion the european Union is greatly respon-sible for relations between turkey and the Westernworld. the most important challenge, Verheugenstated, is how the western world will arrange therelationship to the islamic world. "do we want a rela-tionship that is based on tolerance and understand-ing or a relationship that will lead to conflict?", heasked. Verheugen believes both sides have muchmore common interests than reasons to separate.

Klaus Berning, executive Vice President Sales andMarketing of Porsche aG, emphasised thatNUMOV's role was even more important nowadaysthan 73 years ago, when NUMOV was founded.Porsche's success in the Middle east contributes tothe excellent reputation of top technology 'Made inGermany' in the region, which is of great importanceboth economically and politically. Building on trustand partnership, he expressed his hope that therelations between Germany and the Near andMiddle east will continue to develop positively, pro-viding benefits to both sides.

Martin Bay, the Chairman of the German Near andMiddle association, particularly mentionedVerheugen's role as eU Commissioner forenlargement and his efforts in the process of acces-sion of turkey. Without neglecting the challenges inthe region, Bay pointed out the exceeding impor-tance of the Near and Middle east - a region encom-passing important markets, with vast energy re-sources and great strategic significance. Some ofus, he said, have lived there for many years, havemade friends while conducting business, and havevery personal memories of the region.

Klaus Berning, ExecutiveVice President Sales andMarketing of Porsche AG

H.e. Günter Verheugen, Vice President ofthe european Commission, Martin Bay,the Chairman of the German Near andMiddle association



Bay stressed that, since its foundation in Berlin morethan seventy years ago, NUMOV has not only exam-ined the economic development of the region, butpolitical processes too.

this continuous engagement can be seen in the factthat the German Orient-Institute, under the um-brella of the German Orient-Foundation, proceedswith its regional research on the Near andMiddle east in the new NUMOV-Office in Berlin,Jägerstraße 63 d.

the German Orient-institute (deutsches Orient-institut / dOi) was founded in 1960 by NUMOV withits foundation, the German Orient-Foundation. theFoundation's aim is to support the activities of theGerman economy in the Middle east by providingthe necessary scientific input. this combination ofbusiness, science and research is still of high rele-vance. therefore, the German Orient institute didnot merge with the GiGa in Hamburg and remainedunder the umbrella of the German Orient-Foundation. as opposed to the global approach ofthe GiGa, the German Orient-Foundation stronglyfocuses on regional research. in the course of a pro-fessional and institutional re-organisation, theGerman Orient-institute, under the umbrella of theGerman Orient-Foundation, with its newChairperson dr. Gabriela Guellil, extended itscooperation with international research institutessuch as the Gulf research Center in dubai.

NUMOV-Office in Berlin



Dr. Gabriela Guellil studied Near eastern / islamicStudies and economy in Freiburg and graduatedwith a Ph.d. in 1985. in May 1987, dr. GabrielaGuellil entered the diplomatic service at the FederalForeign Office. after holding positions at the GermanConsulate General in istanbul, at the PermanentMission of the Federal republic of Germany to theUnited Nations in New York, and at the Germanembassy in ankara, turkey, she took on the positionof deputy Head of Section in the task Force for thedialogue with the Muslim World, encouraging bilat-eral cultural relations with the arab league. Finallyshe became Head of the economic department ofthe German embassy in turkey. the Board'sChairperson and three deputy Chair persons of theboard represent the German Orient Foundationexternally. they are Board Members as stipulated in§ 26 of the German Civil Code. among the deputyChairpersons of the Board are Helene rang, CeO ofNUMOV, and dr. Michael lüders. dr. Michaellüders studied arabic literature in damascus andislamic studies, politics and publishing in Berlin.after finishing his doctorate, he produced televisiondocumentaries and was a long-standing Middle eastcorrespondent for die Zeit. in addition to his workas a political and economic consultant, he is a com-mentator on the Middle east for German-languageradio and television programmes. Moreover, he haswritten many books and magazine articles. dr.lüders is a Member of the advisory Board of theGerman Near and Middle east association, andMember of the advisory Board of the turkishindustrialist's and Businessmen's association.

after the great successes in previous years the 4th

rebuild iraq exhibition from 7th to 10th May 2007 suf-fered a setback in the number of exhibitors and visi-tors. Germany, however, once again displayed astrong presence with 46 exhibitors. NUMOV togeth-er with the Federation of German industries partici-pated with an own booth to promote their services,and particularly to give medium-sized companies theopportunity to present their products.

dr. Michael lüders

dr. Gabriela Guellil

Helene rang



at the end of May 2007 German Federal Minister ofeconomics and technology, H.e. Michael Glos,accompanied by a business delegation, visitedQatar and Oman. during his visit to Oman a newbilateral investment Promotion and Protectionagreement was signed, replacing the previousagreement from the year 1979. ConsiderableGerman investments have already been made inOman. MaN Ferrostaal and its Omani partnerOMZeSt have invested a total of USd 500m inorder to build and operate a methanol plant in thenew port and industrial zone of Sohar. the storageas well as the load-ing and unloading of inflammableliquids in the port of Sohar is entirely in the hands ofa German-Omani-Norwegian Joint-Venture with itspartner the Marquard and Bahls aG, which is locat-ed in Hamburg. the latter is involved with an invest-ment totalling USd 300m.

On 12th June 2007 the formal inauguration ceremo-ny of the Emirati German Friendship Society(eGFS) took place according to the German CivilCode in order to enter the Society as an associationin the German register of associations. the followingfounder members were present: H.e. GerhardSchröder, Bernd romanski, Martin Bay, Prof. dr.thomas Budde, edelgard Bulmahn, MdB, dieterernst, Jürgen Fitschen, Jürgen Hogrefe, rudilamprecht, dr. Michael lüders, Hartmut Mehdorn,detlef Prinz, Helene rang, Jürgen Steltzer, HeinoWiese. Further founder members who were unableto attend the event were: dr. roland Berger, erikBettermann, Klaus eberhardt, dr. MartinHerrenknecht, Hans-Wolfgang Kunz, Peter Mayr,Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Mathias Mitscherlich, dr.Bernd Pfaffenbach, Hans Martin rüter, JürgenSander, Bernhard Schmidt, Wendelin Wiedeking,louis Graf Zech.

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, formerChancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany, German Honorary Chairman ofthe eGFS and Honorary Chairman ofNUMOV, and Bernd romanski, Memberof the Management Board of HOCHtieFFacility Management GMBH, GermanCo-Chairman of the eGFS and deputyChairman of the NUMOV Board



the founding assembly unanimously elected thefollowing Board of eGFS:

Honorary Chairman: Gerhard Schröder, Chairman: Bernd romanski, Hochtief essen.Deputy Chairs: edelgard Bulmahn, MdB; dr. MartinHerrenknecht, Herrenknecht aG Schwanau;Hartmut Mehdorn, deutsche Bahn aG Berlin;Helene rang, Hr & Partner; Wendelin Wiedeking,Porsche aG.Further members of the Board: Martin Bay, dBinternational Berlin; Jürgen Fitschen, deutscheBank aG Frankfurt; dr. roland Berger, rolandBerger & Partner München; Klaus eberhardt,rheinmetall aG; erik Bettermann, deutsche WelleBonn/Berlin; rudi lamprecht, Siemens aGMünchen; dr. Michael lüders, Scholar of islamicStudies; dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach, Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology; Hans-Martin rüter,Conergy Hamburg; Jürgen Steltzer, ambassador ret.

the Chairman and the first deputy Chairwomanconstitute the Board as laid down in § 26 of theGerman Civil Code. Jürgen Fitschen assumed theposition of treasurer. the management of the emiratiGerman Friendship Society rests with the GermanNear and Middle east association (NUMOV). theformer ambassador to the Uae, Jürgen Steltzer,was assigned the task of conducting the coordina-tion in abu dhabi between the edFG in Germanyand the contact persons on the emirati side. H.e.Gerhard Schröder emphasised the crucial impor-tance of furthering exchange in cultural, educationaland scientific matters, as well as in environmentalissues, e.g. regarding alternative energies. He stat-ed that the dialogue the edFG considers itself oblig-ed to support in these matters can effect mutualstimuli and reduce prejudices.

From 8th to 13th June 2007 NUMOV conducted abusi ness delegation to Yemen on behalf of theFederal Ministry of economics and technology



enabling German company representatives toexplore business opportunities in the Gulf state. theextensive and well prepared delegation programme,strongly supported by the German embassy inYemen, offered numerous possibilities for fruitfultalks and first hand information on the Yemeni mar-ket. in preparation of the delegation visit a seminarwas held in Berlin hosted by deG. Michael icke fromthe deG, dr. Michael lüders, deputy Chairman ofthe German Orient Foundation, abdahmed Saleh M.Yaffai, Head of the economic Section at theembassy of the republic of Yemen in Berlin,dr. Stefan Buchwald, deputy Head of Mission andHead of the economic Section at the Germanembassy in Yemen, dr. Sven Klaiber, bfai, andHartmut Seliger from the Fichtner Group, provideddetailed information on political and economicdevelopments in Yemen.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, NUMOV together withthe association of German Chambers of industryand Commerce and the Hamburg Chamber ofCommerce organised the 3rd German-iraqi BusinessConference in Hamburg, on 19th June 2007. theconference was attended by a high-ranking iraqi del-egation, representing both the iraqi central govern-ment and the Kurdish regional government. Witharound 200 participants the conference marked theongoing German as well as iraqi interest in cooper-ation, in order to cope with the challenges of rebuild-ing iraq.

H.e. Fawsi Hariri,Minister of industry andMinerals, republic ofiraq

in preparation of a business delegation to theKingdom of Saudi arabia in august/September andon behalf of the Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology, NUMOV organised an informationalseminar in 6th July 2007. the seminar focused oncurrent economic developments in Saudi arabia,with special regard to opportunities for small andmedium-sized German companies. the event wasjointly hosted by Martin Bay, Chairman of the Boardof Managing directors of deutsche Bahninternational and Chairman of the Board of NUMOV,as well as H.e. Prof. dr. med. Ossama bin abdulMajed Shobokshi, ambassador of the Kingdom ofSaudi arabia.

later that month, the NUMOV office in Berlin wasthe location for a reception of a high-ranking busi-ness delegation from the lahore Chamber ofCommerce and industry (lCCi). this was the thirdtime that NUMOV received an lCCi business dele-gation, showing the steady Pakistani interest inGerman business contacts. the planned visit of abusiness delegation to islamabad, which was sched-uled for early November, unfortunately had to becancelled, due to political tensions in Pakistan.

From 29th to 31st august, NUMOV organised the visitof a high-ranking delegation from the Uae’s solarindustry, on behalf of the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology. the visit focused onintroducing Germany’s solar industry and on pro-moting business relations between companies andorganisations from the Uae and Germany. the del-egation was welcomed and briefed by dieter ernst,Chairman of Berlinwasser international aG andBoard Member of NUMOV, at the premises ofdeutsche Bank in Berlin. Bilateral talks betweenemirati and German company representativesactive in the solar sector were at the centre of aseparate business-to-business meeting.

Nearly simultaneously, NUMOV took the responsi-bility to organise a business delegation to the capital



Meeting at the Ministry of Finance of theKingdom of Saudi arabia

f.l.t.r.: Volker Clauß, SK SonnenKlimaGmbH; dr. Georg Buchholz; BertholdBreid, deutsche energie agentur GmbH(dena); Nikolaus Krane, Conergy aG; dr.Jürgen Friedrich, Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology; dr. OlafGöbel, abu dhabi Future energyCompany (adFeC)

delegation of the lahore Chamber ofCommerce and industry (lCCi)

of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia, riyadh, from the31st august to 4th September 2007. the delegationwas prepared on behalf of the German Ministry ofeconomics and technology and with the support ofthe German Saudi arabian liasion Office foreconomic affairs, GeSalO, and the embassy of theFederal republic of Germany in riyadh. the dele-gation was headed by Martin Bay, Chairman of theBoard of NUMOV, Co-Chairman of the Saudi-German Business dialogue and Chairman of theBoard of Managing directors of deutsche Bahninternational. a reception with representatives ofSaudi and local German companies was held at theGerman embassy in the evening of 31st august. Onthe next day, the delegation visited the Ministries ofFinance, transport, as well as Municipal and ruralaffairs, where the delegation gained an insight intothe economic development of the country. later, theBusiness Contact Forum at the riyadh Chamber ofCommerce and industry offered an excellent possi-bility for the initiation of business partnerships.

in September, NUMOV published the “NUMOV-direCtOrY of German Companies in the Near andMiddle east” for the first time. realising the need ofGerman companies to present themselves in a last-ing manner, and taking into account the ongoingimportance of the states of the Near and Middle eastand North africa for the German industry, NUMOVdistributed – free of charge – 50,000 copies of thedireCtOrY in the region. the compendium is notonly a platform for companies doing business in theregion, it also serves as a reference for authoritiesand decision-makers from the region who want toaccess German expertise and know-how for theirendeavours. the NUMOV-direCtOrY of GermanCompanies in the Near and Middle is the first of itskind and has enjoyed remarkable success fromentrepreneurs and decision-makers because of itsobvious advantages: it provides comprehensiveinformation about Germany and German companiesthat are active in the Middle east, presentingGerman company profiles that enable potential part-



f.l.t.r:: Martin Bay, Chairman of the Boardof NUMOV, Co-Chairman of the Saudi-German Business dialogue, Chairman ofthe Board of Managing directors ofdeutsche Bahn international and H.e. dr.detlev Wolter, Minister Counsellor, deputyHead of Mission of the embassy of theFederal republic of Germany to theKingdom of Saudi arabia and H.e. dr.Hamad al Bazee, deputy Minister foreconomic affairs

ners to find a suitable German company, and giveseasy access to the presented companies throughalphabetical and sectoral listing.

On 27th September 2007, the 82nd NUMOV-länderforum took place in Bonn. it was hosted byerik Bettermann, director-General of deutscheWelle, Germany’s international BroadcastingService. among the participants was H.e. dr.Herbert Honsowitz, ambassador of the Federalrepublic of Germany to the islamic republic of iran.

in October 2007, NUMOV and the GermanChamber of Commerce and industry organised aGerman business delegation to Muscat/Oman, onthe occasion of the 10th session of the German-Omani Joint Commission on economic andtechnical Cooperation. H.e. dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach,State Secretary of the German Ministry ofeconomics and technology, headed the delegationand led the commission talks with H.e. Sayyid Badrbin Hamoud al Busaidi, Secretary General of theForeign Ministry of Oman. the delegation visited theOman Chamber of Commerce and industry, wherevarious ongoing projects, opportunities and invest-ment incentives were presented. the first day of thetrip was concluded with a reception at the residenceof the German ambassador, H.e. Klaus Geyer. Visitson the second day included the Knowledge OasisMuscat, the rusayl industrial area, the large-scaletourism project “the Wave Muscat”, as well as aclosing ceremony at the Omani Foreign Ministry.

in November 2007, the 2nd NUMOV German-Middleeast Business round table took place in istanbul.the event was hosted by NUMOV’s first internation-al member, the eren Holding, represented throughits owner ahmet eren and its CFO Saffet Molvali,who was also the host to the informal get-togetheron the previous evening. in the ensuing talks, theparticipants of the German-Middle east Business



H.e. dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach, StateSecretary at the German Ministry ofeconomics and technology at the FederalForeign Office and H.e. Sayyid Badr binHamoud al Busaidi, General Secretary atthe Foreign Ministry of Oman

ahmet eren, owner of eren Holding andHelene rang, CeO of NUMOV

f.l.t.r.: Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV,H.e. dr. Herbert Honsowitz, ambassadorof the Federal republic of Germany to theislamic republic of iran, erik Bettermann,intendant of deutsche Welle and BoardMember of NUMOV/Near and Middleeast association

round table emphasized the importance of turkeyas a gateway to the eastern Mediterranean Basinand highlighted the Business table’s role in con-tributing to a wider mutual understanding of the par-ticipating countries and in deepening existing ties.the 2nd NUMOV German-Middle east Businessround table was widely appreciated by the turkishpress, which covered the event extensively andremarked on its role in converging turkish andGerman interest in investing in the region of theMiddle east.

H.M. King abdullah Bin abdulaziz al Saud, King ofSaudi arabia and Custodian of the two HolyMosques, visited Berlin from 7th to 9th November2007. during this time, he met with numerous high-ranking German representatives, including H.e.Horst Köhler, President of the Federal republic ofGermany, H.e. dr. angela Merkel, Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany, H.e. dr. Frank-WalterSteinmeier, Foreign Minister of the Federal republicof Germany, and H.e. Klaus Wowereit, First Mayorof Berlin. it was the first official visit of a King ofSaudi arabia to Germany since the visit of H.M. KingKhaled in 1980.

On 13th and 14th November 2007 saw the secondmeeting of the emirati German Friendship Societyon the occasion of the visit of H.H. Sheikh HamdanBin Zayed al Nahyan, deputy Prime Minister of theUnited arab emirates and Co-Honorary Chairman ofthe emirati German Friendship Society to Berlin. inhis honour, a Gala dinner and a workshop were heldin Berlin. the emirati delegation visited Germany at



H.H. Sheikh Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, H.e. Gerhard Schröder and German participants of the Gala dinner

f.l.t.r: H.e. Yousef Omair Bin Yousef, H.e.Peer Steinbrück, H.H. Sheikh Bin Zayed alNahyan and H.e. Gerhard Schröder

H.M. King abdullah bin abdulaziz al-Saudand Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV

the invitation of H.e. Gerhard Schröder, formerGerman Chancellor and Co-Honorary Chairman ofthe emirati German Friendship Society. renewableenergies, especially solar energy, as well as bilater-al exchange programs and the prospects of youngpeople were central themes of the consultations. inthe course of a reception in the Konzerthaus at theGendarmenmarkt in Berlin-Mitte, deutsche Welle,HOCHtieF Facility Management GmbH andthyssenKrupp aG announced that they will sponsorinternships and vocational training opportunities, incooperation with the emirati German FriendshipSociety and thus contribute to a deepening of per-sonal and cultural ties between the countries.

From 25th to 28th November 2007, NUMOV, on behalfof the German Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology, welcomed a business delegation fromthe Palestinian territories in Berlin. the Palestinianentrepreneurs accompanied H.e. MohammedKamal Hasounah, Minister of National economy ofthe Palestinian territories and H.e. dr. Khouloudduaibes, Minister of tourism of the Palestinianterritories on their visit to Berlin in order to establishbusiness contacts and strengthen economic rela-tions with Germany. the Permanent representativeOffice of North rhine Westphalia in Berlin hosted aninformation seminar about the current economicsituation in the Palestinian territories.



f.l.t.r.: dirk Schattschneider, deputy Head of the Permanent representativeOffice of North rhine Westphalia in Berlin, H.e. Mohammed KamalHasounah, Minister of the Palestinian National economy, H.e. dr.Khouloud duaibes, Minister of tourism, dr. Juergen Friedrich, Head ofMiddle east and North africa department in the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, H.e. Hael al-Fahoum General delegate of thePalestinian territories



in december 2007, the German Orient – institute re-launched its scientific magazine OrieNt. With con-tributions from numerous known scholars, OrieNtaddresses relevant topics in the politics, economicsand culture of the countries of the Middle east. it isa platform for an exchange of ideas, as well as anaddition to the ongoing dialogue with the islamicworld.

Hosted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the 83rd

NUMOV-länderforum took place in Berlin on 14th

January 2008. among the participants was H.e. dr.Herbert Honsowitz, ambassador of the Federalrepublic of Germany to the islamic republic of iran.

On the invitation of H.e. Shahid ahmad Kamal,ambassador of the islamic republic of Pakistan tothe Federal republic of Germany, members of theNUMOV junior section visited the embassy ofPakistan in Berlin on 17th January 2008.

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany and HonoraryChairman of NUMOV, took part in the 11th GCCindustrialists’ Conference in abu dhabi from 20th to21st January 2008. the conference was under thepatronage of H.H. General Sheikh Muhammad BinZayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of abu dhabi anddeputy Supreme Commander of the U.a.e. armedForces. in his keynote speech, Gerhard Schröderhighlighted the special relations between Germanyand the GCC countries.

in early February 2008, NUMOV once again held itsintercultural seminar “arabisch verstehen lernen”.this series of seminars is hosted by renownedscholars with an extensive background in the region.as of 2008, NUMOV will expand this line of seminarswith workshops on turkey and iran, titled “türkischverstehen lernen” and “Persisch verstehen lernen”

H.e. Shahid ahmad Kamal

dr. ahmad Khalil al-Mutawa, SecretaryGeneral of GOiC and H.e. GerhardSchröder

2008

respectively. these seminars aim at enabling partic-ipants to understand cultural and historical realitiesin the region.

On 8th February 2008, NUMOV’s HonoraryChairman and former German Chancellor, H.e.Gerhard Schröder welcomed H.H. SheikhMuhammad bin rashed al Maktoum, Vice-Presidentand Prime Minister of the United arab emirates andruler of dubai, in Berlin. H.H. Sheikh Muhammadbin rashed al Maktoum was awarded the Medal ofHonour in Gold of the Free University of Berlin forhis outstanding contributions to the development ofscience and education in his country and the arabworld.

On 26th February 2008, NUMOV and the GermanOrient-institute were host to H.e. HumayunMohamad Hamidzada, Spokesman to the Presidentof afghanistan and director of Communication. in around table discussion with participants fromthe German Parliament, economy and media,H.e. Humayun Mohamad Hamidzada highlightedafghanistan’s considerable efforts and achieve-ments in the economic sector.

in the spirit of encouraging companies to take upbusiness projects in the region, NUMOV offered alarge-scale seminar entitled “Project acquisition andProject Management in the Near and Middle east”.the response of the German business communitywas most gratifying – a large audience attended theevent, which took place on the premises of KfW ban-king group in Frankfurt on 12th March 2008. theworkshop began with highlighting businessopportunities in renewable energies and energy-effi-cient building technologies. detailed presentationsfollowed on tendering procedures, methods of pro-ject financing and legal frameworks in the region.



H.e. Gerhard Schröder, FormerChancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany, Founder and HonoraryChairman of the emirati GermanFriendship Society; H.H. SheikhMuhammad bin rashed al Maktoum,Vice-President and Prime Minister of theUnited arab emirates and ruler of dubai,Prof. dr. dieter lenzen, President of the“Freie Universität Berlin”.

H.e. Humayun Mohamad Hamidzada,Spokesman to the President ofafghanistan

f.l.t.r.: dr. Michael Witter, Federal ForeignOffice, dr. Norbert Kloppenburg, Memberof the Board of KfW banking group anddeputy Chairman of NUMOV, Martin Bay,Managing director of dB internationalGerman railway Group and Chairman ofNUMOV, Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV



the event featured numerous high-ranking speakersand a number of board members of NUMOV, suchas Martin Bay, Managing director of the Germanrailway Group, dr. Norbert Kloppenburg, BoardMember of KfW Bankengruppe and deputyChairman of NUMOV, Helene rang, CeO ofNUMOV and Bernd romanski, Managing director ofHochtief Facility Management GmbH and deputyChairman of NUMOV.

From 8th to 11th april 2008 NUMOV arranged aGerman business delegation to Qatar, headed by dr.Michael lüders, deputy Chairperson of the GermanOrient Foundation. delegation meetings were heldwith the Qatari Ministry of economy and Commerce,the Central tenders Committee and with QatarPetroleum, amongst others. Moreover, the membersof the delegation had the opportunity of meetingH.e. dr. dirk Baumgartner, German ambassador toQatar, as well as Mohamed Mahdi ajayan al-ahbabi,Board Member of the Qatar Chamber of Commerceand industry.

On 10th april 2008 doha was host to the 3rd NUMOVGerman-Middle east Business round table.representatives of the business communities ofboth countries once again were provided with anexcellent platform for exchange.

the egyptian information technology industrydevelopment agency (itida) arranged a businessdelegation of egyptian it entrepreneurs to Cologneand düsseldorf, where they attended theSoftwareand Systems Quality Conference on 16th

april 2008. With 11% of egyptians having internetaccess, there is room for further growth in this sector. Participants of the egyptian it delegation

at the Software and Systems QualityConference in düsseldorf



On 21st april 2008 NUMOV held a seminar on legalaspects of business in the Near and Middle east.the seminar, hosted by HypoVereinsbank aG inMunich, was attended by more than 60 participantsand provided highly useful insights into legal busin-ess issues which typically arise in the region, notab-ly in the GCC states. the seminar was started byMartin Marsmann, Managing director and Head ofinternational Business of HypoVereinsbank aG.among the further speakers were Bernhard von derPlanitz, Former German ambassador and advisoryBoard Member of NUMOV and a number of legalexperts operating both in Germany and the region.

april likewise marked the official visit of H.H. SheikhHamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al thani, Prime Ministerand Minister of Foreign affairs of Qatar to Germany

Participants of the seminar on legal aspects of businessin the Near and Middle east

f.l.t.r.: H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al thani, H.e. YousufHussein Kamal, Minister of Finance and acting Minister of economy andCommerce and dr. Norbert Kloppenburg, Member of the Board of the KfWbanking group, deputy Chairman of the Board of NUMOV



NUMOV arranged a business dinner on the occasi-on of the visit on 22nd april 2008, providing a numberof high-ranking German business representativeswith the opportunity of meeting the Qatari delegati-on. Following a welcome speech by the host of thedinner, dr. Norbert Kloppenburg, Board Member ofKfW banking group and deputy Chairman ofNUMOV, the guests were addressed by the PrimeMinister himself.

as an expression of the long-standing friendshipbetween egypt and Germany, the egyptianPresident H.e. Hosny Mubarak paid Germany anofficial visit on 23rd april 2008. egypt is the third lar-gest trading partner of Germany, bilateral trade bet-ween the two countries experiences continual andsolid growth.

the German-turkish Cooperation Council met on24th to 25th april 2008, in ankara. the council com-prised its traditional working groups industry andinvestments, trade, tourism and Science, researchand technology, and allowed for in-depth exchangebetween high-ranking officials from both countries.

the Jordanian-German bilateral relations were atthe focus of attention on the occasion of the officialvisit of H.e. dr. Muntaser al-Oklah, Secretary ofState of the Jordanian department of trade andindustry. On 25th april 2008 NUMOV and theGerman Orient-Foundation hosted a round tableJordan, centering on the recent economic develop-ment of the country. May 2008 saw the publication ofthe Near and Middle east economic Handbook, por-traying the economic outlook for the countries of theregion as well as Central asian countries.

Between 5th and 8th May 2008 NUMOV was amongthe partners of the first Mediterranean BusinessPartneria held by the turkish Ministry of economy inantalya, turkey. More than 1,300 participants fromall economic sectors had the opportunity to explorefuture business opportunities in the country. asexpected, the partneria provided an excellent plat-form of contact between corporate representativesfrom Germany and their counterparts from the Nearand Middle east.

28th May 2008 marked the annual General Meetingof the German Near and Middle east associationwhich was hosted by the representation Office ofthe european Commission in Berlin. the assemblyconfirmed the election of four new members to theboard: Klaus eberhardt, Chairman of the Board ofrheinmetall aG, a traditional German companywhich was established in 1899 and is very succes-sful in the automotive components market inGermany and abroad; elke Hoff, elected to FederalParliament in 2005, speaker for disarmament policyof the FdP Parliamentary Group, PermanentMember of the disarmament Committee and deputyMember of the Foreign affairs Committee; Maria-elisabeth Schaeffler from the Schaeffler Group, oneof the largest european industrial companies underfamily ownership and the second largest manufactu-rer of rolling bearings worldwide; PaulSchockemöhle, owner of Paul SchockemöhlePferdehaltung GmbH, one of the most successfulhorse breedings in the world.



annual General Meeting of the German Near and Middle eastassociation 2008



the membership statistics and turnover of the pastyear reflected the ever-increasing success ofNUMOV. Precisely, the association had been able torecord the best results since its foundation.Moreover, NUMOV had for the first time publishedits directory of German Companies in the Near andMiddle east and issued a new edition of the Nearand Middle East Economic Handbook 2008.

also on 28th May NUMOV cooperated with theeuropean Commission in hosting a conference titled“the european Union as a Partner of the Near andMiddle east.” One of the panels focused on the rela-tionship between the eU and the region, with a focuson the countries of the Mediterranean Basis, whe-reas the other panel focused on eU relation-shipswith the GCC countries only. dr. Marzenna Guz-Vetter from the european Commissionrepresentation in Berlin opened the conference. inher speech dr. Guz-Vetter noted that the GCC wasthe fifth-largest export market of the europeanUnion, announcing that a new Barcelona Processwould be launched in July 2008, which would enhan-ce Mediterranean cooperation even further Panel

presentations ensued, held by representatives of thebusiness community as well as ministerial officialsand ambassadors. the academia was likewiserepresented by well-known personalities such asProf. dr. Gilles Kepel from the institute of PoliticalStudies in Paris.

On the evening of 28th May 2008, NUMOV held itsannual German Near and Middle east Gala event,this time in the Kronprinzenpalais, located in theheart of Berlin. the event was hosted by emiratesairlines, one of the most successful airlines worldwi-de. Henry Hasselbarth, the Vice-President for Northand Central europe warmly welcomed more than300 guests to the exclusive event.

the guests were likewise welcomed by Martin Bay,Chairman of the Board of Managing directors of theGerman railway Group international and Chairmanof NUMOV. He noted that German companies are



f.l.t.r.: Jan Hofmokl, european Commission’s directorate-General forexternal relations; H.e. Mohamed al Orabi, the egyptian ambassador toGermany; Martin Bay, Chairman of the Board of Managing directors ofGerman railway Group international, Chairman of the Board of NUMOV;dr. Marzenna Guz-Vetter, the Political reporting Officer of the europeanCommission representation in Berlin; dr. Jana Hybaskova, Member of theeuropean Parliament and Member of the euro-MediterraneanParliamentary assembly

Henry Hasselbarth, Vice-President for North and Central europe, emirates airlines

German Near and MiddleEast Gala Event 2008



Martin Bay, Chairman of theBoard of Managing directorsof the German railway Groupinternational and Chairman ofNUMOV

increasingly paying attention to the rapid economicand social changes taking place in the Near andMiddle east. although many German companies aremarket leaders in the areas of environmental tech-nology, machinery, logistics and health they mustwork at their visibility and recognition as long-term,reliable partners, he said. Martin Bay underlined thatthis is one of the key points of assistance providedto German companies by NUMOV. He thanked H.e.Gerhard Schröder, Former Federal Chancellor andHonorary Chairman of NUMOV for his efforts to buildbridges of friendship between Germany and theregion.

in his speech, H.e. Gerhard Schröder took up the fri-endly atmosphere, emphasizing the importance ofsuch friendly relations. Welcoming the participationof an iraqi delegation under the leadership of H.e.Hadi al Hairi, Secretary of State of the Ministry oftrade of iraq, Schröder called for a sustainable stra-tegy in iraq, including all of its neighbouring coun-tries and aiming at an orderly withdrawal of troops inthe foreseeable future. He continued by commentingon the importance of the region not only for interna-tional trade, but also as an integral part of the inter-national community of states and societies. Heended his speech by expressing his appreciation forthe continued contribution of NUMOV towards thisprocess, noting that the association was at the fore-front of positive development and was well-suited toand highly successful at initiating cross-regionalrelations at a high and exclusive level.

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former Federal Chancellor and Honorary Chairman of NUMOV

Moreover, the guests were addressed by H.e.Mohamed al Orabi, the egyptian ambassador anddoyen of the arab diplomatic Corps in Berlin. Hehighlighted that the visions expressed for internatio-nal cooperation were not far from being realised. Hecited several examples such as six million Germanstravelling to the Near and Middle east annually, aswell as the success of the German University ofCairo.

the Gala event ended on a more informal note,providing the guests, most of them members of theGerman business community, federal ministerialrepresentatives and ambassadors with the opportu-nity of exchanging their views and experiences wit-hin the gardens of the Kronprinzenpalais.

two days later the iraqi-German Joint Commissionon economic and technical Cooperation held its5th session – 21 years after its 4th session. the iraqidelegation, headed by H.e. Fawzi al-Hariri, Ministerof industry of iraq expressed their profound interestin strengthening the bilateral relations with Germany.the future outlook and possible obstacles werediscussed and the German side pledged to coope-rate in rebuilding the country.



German Near and Middle east Gala event 2008

H.e. Mohamed al Orabi, the egyptian ambassador



the German-Uae Joint Commission on economy,trade and technical Cooperation held its 7th sessionin Berlin on 9th to 10th June 2008. the Uae delegati-on was headed by the emirati Minister of economyH.e. Saeed bin Sultan al Mansoury. Welcomed byH.e. dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach, State Secretary at theGerman Ministry of economics and technology, thecommission addressed bilateral relations betweenthe two countries.

On behalf of the Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology NUMOV arranged a visit of a high-ran-king business delegation from the United arabemirates to visit Munich and leipzig from 11th to 14th

June 2008.

the delegation included 24 members and was hea-ded by Humaid Mohamed ali Bin Salem, director-General of the Umm al Quwain Chamber ofCommerce and industry. a focus of the visit was theseminar Solar Business in the arab Gulf Stateswhich took place in the course of the 2008 intersolartrade fair.

the participants were given first-hand insights intosolar energy by several presenters, among themGerhard Stryi-Hipp, Managing director of the

H.e. Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of the republic of iraq and H.e. Fawzial-Hariri, Minister of industry of the republic of iraq

German Federal Solar industry association andProf. dr. Volker Wittwer of the Fraunhofer institut forSolar energy. From the emirati side, two businessmen shared their knowledge and insights.

the 84th NUMOV-länderforum took place in Berlinon 16th June 2008. Hosted by MeOCliNiC, theforum focused on Saudi arabia and Qatar. theguests were welcomed by Nikolaus Jagdfeld andProf. dr. med. Jürgen Mäurer, CeO of MeOCliNiC.amongst the guests were H.e. dr. dirkBaumgartner, German ambassador to Qatar andH.e. dr. detlev Wolter, deputy ambassador to Saudiarabia.

the NUMOV intercultural seminars continued with“türkisch Verstehen lernen” (“Understandingturkish”) on 20th June and two sessions of “arabischVerstehen lernen” (“Understanding arabic”) on 27th

and 28th June, and on 18th and 19th July 2008.

NUMOV and the German Orient-institute (dOi)organised a round table Pakistan on 24th June2008. the round table was opened by MichaelaWeber, Chairperson of the NUMOV Junior Sectionand regional Manager. Subsequently, SyedMuhammad Mehdi, Speaker and Coordinator forForeign affairs of the Pakistan Muslim league(PMl) gave a short introduction to the current bilate-ral relations between Pakistan and Germany, follo-



Participants of the Uae Business delegation to Munich and leipzig



wed by a discussion amongst the participants, pro-viding them with new insights. On 10th July 2008 the German Orient-institute andNUMOV collaborated in hosting a round table iranin Berlin so as to welcome the visiting, high-rankingiranian business delegation under the lead of dr.Mohammad Nahavandian, Chairman of the iranianChamber of Commerce, industries and Mines. thedelegation aimed at finding new ways of improvingthe present bilateral commercial relations betweennon-governmental institutions as well as companiesin iran.

after bilateral relations between iraq and Germanyhad stalled for many years, an amelioration was per-ceptible when H.e. Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister ofthe republic of iraq spent an official visit toGermany. the Prime Minister was received by H.e.dr. angela Merkel, German Chancellor on 22nd July2008.

the visit reflected the significant change towardsimproved bilateral relations between the twocountries.

dr. Mohammad Nahavandian,Chairman of the iranianChamber of Commerce,industries and Mines(iCCiM)

H.e. Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of the republic of iraq and H.e. dr. angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal republic of Germany

On 11th august NUMOV held a reception for thebenefit of fourteen young diplomats from the Middleeast and North africa, who were taking part in thetraining Programme for international diplomats heldby the Federal Foreign Office. the reception offeredthe young diplomats the opportunity of meetingmembers of the NUMOV Junior Section.

On 18th august 2008 NUMOV held an economicseminar at the embassy of the islamic republic ofPakistan. the seminar participants, attending inpreparation of their nearing business delegation toPakistan, were received by H.e. ambassadorShahid ahmad Kamal.

to prepare its German business delegation to iraqNUMOV organized a round table on 25th august2008, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, hosted by deutscheBank aG. the round table was hosted by elke Hoff,a Member of the German Parliament, BoardMember of NUMOV and Board Member of theGerman Orient-Foundation. the event included adetailed account of the current political and econo-mic situation in iraq by H.e. dr. Hanns Schumacher,German ambassador to iraq from September 2007until august 2008.

the round table ended with a brief overview of theupcoming business delegation given by dr. rudolfGridl, a representative of the Ministry of economicsand technology.



Participants of the iraq round table

elke Hoff, Member of the GermanParliament and H.e. dr. HannsSchumacher, German ambas-sador ret. in iraq



On 1st September NUMOV held another of its intercul-tural seminars, this time “Persisch Verstehen lernen”(“Understanding Persian”).

in preparation of a German business delegation toturkey NUMOV held a business seminar hosted byKfW banking group in Frankfurt/ Main on 12th

September 2008.

NUMOV cooperated with the German Orient-institutein hosting a round table egypt on 23rd September2008. a special guest to the round table was dr.Borhan Mohamed tawhid amrallah, assistant Ministerof Justice for international Cooperation of egypt.

in September NUMOV likewise took part in the largestinfrastructure fair of Germany, the innotrans 2008,informing participants about its work and the growth ofinfrastructure in the Near and Middle east.

NUMOV continued its intercultural seminar series with“arabisch Verstehen lernen” (“Understandingarabic”) on 2nd to 3rd October 2008.

f.l.t.r.: Kemal eser, lawyer and proprietor of eser law firm; Mr. lubasch, Salesmanager of Herrenknecht aG; abdurrahim Güleç, dep. Managing director ofNUMOV; Peter Schäfer, deputy director of KfW iPeX Bank GmbH;Güldengül arad, turkey’s consulate general in Germany and Sonjaroßwinkel, euler Hermes Kreditversicherungs-aG

the 17th Saudi-German Joint Commission tookplace in Berlin on 14th and 15th October 2008. theCommission was officially opened by H.e. dr.ibrahim al assaf, Minister of Finance of the Kingdomof Saudi arabia and H.e. Michael Glos, GermanMinister of economics and technology. the state-ments of the ministers were followed by someremarks by Martin Bay, Co-Chairperson of theSaudi-German Business dialogue (SGBd), whichwas organized by NUMOV within the framework ofthe Joint Commission.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry foreconomics and technology NUMOV arranged aGerman business delegation to iraq on the occasionof the erbil international Fair 2008. More than 50business and press representatives participatedin the delegation, which lasted from 17th to 20th

October 2008. the large number of participants tothis delegation clearly demonstrated the economicimportance of iraq to the German business sector.

the delegation took part in the Business ContactForum at the University of Salahaddin with some 80business people from all over iraq attending.



the German economic delegation with H.e. Nechirvan Barzani, PrimeMinister of the Kurdish regional Government, and H.e. dr. Christof Weil,ambassador of the Federal republic of Germany to iraq

Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV and H.e.dr. ibrahim al assaf, Minister of Financeof the Kingdom of Saudi arabia

the afternoon of the same day was marked by thevisit to the erbil international Fair 2008. the partici-pation of 500 companies from 22 countries reflectedthe future potential of this fair to the German repre-sentatives.

On the next day the delegation had the opportunityto meet H.e. Mohammad rauf, Minister of trade inthe Kurdish regional Government, H.e. MinisterWidad Kurshid Osman of the Ministry of industry ofthe Kurdish regional Government and H.e.Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdishregional Government.

From 26th to 29th October H.M. King Hamad bin isaal-Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain embarked onhis first official visit to Germany. the King wasreceived by the German Federal President H.e. dr.Horst Köhler, the German Chancellor H.e. dr.angela Merkel and the German Foreign MinisterH.e. dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier. their talks centredaround the strategic role of the Gulf States towardspeace and stability in the region. all parties expres-sed their hopes for a speedy negotiation of a freetrade agreement between the GCC States and theeuropean Union. On the occasion of the visit aneconomic Forum Bahrain was hosted by HOCH-tieF Facility Management in cooperation with theembassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Germany andNUMOV.

at the Saudi Build 2008, NUMOV offered informati-on on its activities and the German business andindustrial sector in general. the fair took place inriyadh, Saudi arabia from 26th to 29th October 2008.German exhibitors were gathered in the German



Meeting in the erbil Chamber of Commerce and industry, iraq

H.M. King Hamad bin isaal-Khalifa of the Kingdomof Bahrain

pavilion set up on behalf of the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology.

the annual abu dhabi international Petroleumexhibition and Conference (adiPeC) was organisedunder the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa BinZayed al Nahyan, President of the Uae and ruler ofabu dhabi in the abu dhabi National exhibitionCentre (adNeC), from 3rd to 6th November 2008. Forthe fourth time, Germany officially participated with aGerman pavilion. 37 German companies presentedtheir expertise in process technology and their latestproducts in the gas and oil sector.

a number of national and international NUMOVmembers met for discussions in the course of the 4th

NUMOV German-Middle east Business roundtable, which took place at the premises of deutscheBörse Group in Frankfurt on 4th November 2008.Welcome speeches were held by Michael Peters,Board Member of eurex Frankfurt aG and dr.Gunter Mulack, director of the German Orient-institute. a lively discussion lit up, with notable con-tributions made by H.e. Hocine Meghar,ambassador of algeria to Germany, MartinMarsmann, Head of international Business atHypoVereinsbank and Feroz alam Juneip from theGeneral-Consulate of Pakistan.

NUMOV organized a German business delegationto abu dhabi and dubai from 8th to 12th November2008, headed by Josef Forkl from thyssenKrupp.after being welcomed by H.e. Klaus-Peter Brandes,German ambassador to the United arab emirates(Uae) the delegation was received by H.e. rashidahmad Bin Fahad, Minister of Water andenvironment of the Uae.

On the evening of the same day the delegationattended a dinner in abu dhabi upon invitation of theras al Khaima Free trade Zone authority. On thefollowing day the group attended a reception held bythe abu dhabi Chamber of Commerce and industry



(adCCi), where they were welcomed by H.e. Salehrashid Hamad al Mutawa al dhaheri. the day wasconcluded with a visit to MaSdar, where SaschaM. Menzendorf and dr. Olaf Göbel introduced theambitious plans for the city. On their third day thedelegation visited dubailand.

the trade fair GlobalConnect took place for the firsttime from 11th to 12th November 2008. the fair, heldin Stuttgart, is a new platform for export-orientedcompanies. the fair comprised 151 exhibitors anddrew 2,800 visitors from 51 countries, among themguests from the Uae. NUMOV was present at thefair, informing visitors about its work and businessopportunities in the MeNa region.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry foreconomics and technology NUMOV arranged aGerman business delegation to turkey from 11th to14th November 2008. as the delegation focussed onthe energy sector and energy related businesses inturkey, the business representatives learned aboutthe turkish energy market, its trends and prospects.the trip comprised meetings with and briefings byseveral experts, among them H.e. dr. eckhartCuntz, German ambassador to turkey and dr.Marcus Knupp, Member of the German Office ofForeign trade in istanbul. the trip was rounded offby a conference organised by the Ministry of energyand Natural resources, a lecture by UndersecretarySelahattin Cimen and several presentations by andmeetings with representatives of turkish companies.



the 3rd Meeting of the emirati German FriendshipSociety (eGFS) took place in abu dhabi from 14th to15th November 2008 upon invitation of H.H. SheikhHamdan Bin Zayed al Nahyan, deputy PrimeMinister of the Uae and Honorary Chairman of theeGFS. Headed by H.e. Gerhard Schröder, FormerGerman Chancellor and Honorary Chairman of theeGFS, a high-ranking German delegation compri-sing 22 members, visited abu dhabi on the occasi-on of the meeting. One of the highlights of the tripwas the signature of a Memorandum ofUnderstanding between the technical UniversityBerlin and abu dhabi University.

On the second day the delegation visited theGerman international School abu dhabi (dSad),where the participants were received by the Head ofSchool Gerald Miebs.



f.l.t.r.: Zafer Benli, deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of energy andNatural resources; Yusuf Yazar, deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry ofenergy and Natural resources; Selahattin Cimen, Undersecretary of theMinistry of energy and Natural resources; H.e. dr. eckart Cuntz,ambassador of the Federal republic of Germany to turkey; Norbertdwenger, Head of delegation, Nordex energy GmbH; Stefan altmeppen,German Federal Ministry of economics and technology

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed al Nahyan, deputy Prime Minister of theUnited arab emirates and Honorary Chairman of the emirati GermanFriendship Society (eGFS) and H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former GermanChancellor and Honorary Chairman of the eGFS

Bamberg University held its first Career days on 15th

November 2008, informing university students aboutjob opportunities. the department of OrientalStudies, participating in the event, focussedspecifically on students with expertise in the MeNaregion. NUMOV was present at the event, giving anoverview of its work and its offers for internships.Christoph Hoeppel, deputy Chairperson of theNUMOV Junior Section held a speech, summarisingthe cultural activities of the section in the past years.

the 85th NUMOV-länderforum took place on 13th

January 2009 in Bonn. the forum, hosted by dr.Monika Wulf-Mathies, Member of the executiveBoard of deutsche Post World Net and Member ofthe Board of NUMOV, was focussed on Kuwait.among the participants were H.e. Germanambassador in Kuwait dr. Michael Worbs and dr.Jürgen Friedrich, Head of the North africa, Near andMiddle east division of the German Federal Ministryof economics and technology.

On 19th January 2009, the German Orient-instituteorganized a panel discussion in cooperation with therepresentation of the european Commission inGermany on the events in the Gaza Strip. the eventtook place at the German representation of theeuropean Commission in Berlin and was attendedby around 200 interested guests from various sphe-res. the discussion was moderated by dr. MarzennaGuz-Vetter from the German representation of theeC and comprised several participants from politics,



2009

f.l.t.r.: dr. Sören dengg, Vice PresidentGovernment affairs of deutsche Post aG;H.e. dr. Michael Worbs, Germanambassador in Kuwait and Helene rang,CeO of NUMOV

f.l.t.r.: Oliver ernst, Konrad-adenauer Foundation; Hajo lanz, Friedrichebert Foundation; Nina Obermeier, Near east division of the eC’sdirectorate-General for Foreign affairs; dr. thomas ehler, Czechembassy; dr. Marzenna Guz-Vetter, the German representation of theeC; dr. Gunter Mulack, executive director of the German Orient-institute;Boris ruge, Head of division for the Near and Middle east in the GermanForeign Office and Mathias Weiter, representative of the Federal Ministryfor economic Cooperation and development

foundations and associations. Main topics were theregional and international consequences of thesituation in the Gaza Strip, including economic con-sequences.

Mid of February was marked by the visit of H.e. dr.Frank-Walter Steinmeier to iraq - the first visit of aGerman Foreign Minister to the country in 22 years.the trip from 16th to 17th February 2009 sawH.e. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was accompa-nied by a business delegation, being welcomed byH.e. dschalal talabani, President of iraq, andH.e. Nouri al-Maliki, the iraqi Prime Minister inBagdad. the trip was rounded of by a visit to erbil,the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region inNorthern iraq, with the iraqi Foreign Minister H.e.Hoshyar Zebari. there, both met with H.e. MassoudBarzani, President of the iraqi Kurdistan region, andH.e. Negervan Barzani, the Kurdish Prime Minister.

From 19th to 22nd February former GermanChancellor and Honorary Chairman of NUMOV, H.e.Gerhard Schröder travelled to iran to participate inthe opening of a scientific foundation.

during his travel Schröder also met a number ofhigh-ranking iranian officials, among them mostprominently H.e. Mahmoud ahmadinejad, theiranian President. Further, the trip included talks withthe Oil Minister H.e. Gholam Hossein Nosari, theForeign Minister H.e. Manutschehr Mottaki, and theformer iranian President H.e. Muhammad Chatami.



H.e. dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier,German Minister of Foreign affairsand iraqi Prime Minister H.e. Nouri al-Maliki

f.l.t.r.: German ambassador to iran H.e. dr. Herbert Honsowitz; H.e.Gerhard Schröder, Former German Chancellor; H.e. Mahmoudahmadinejad, President of iran and the iranian ambassador to GermanyH.e. ali-reza Sheikh-attar

the NUMOV Conference on the impact andChallenges of the Financial Crisis for the Middleeastern economies took place on 2nd March 2009 onthe premises of the KfW banking group in Berlin. inthe middle of a financial crisis, the conferenceattracted many business representatives and fea-tured not only representatives of ministries andresearch institutes, which presented their forecastsfor future developments, but also many ambas-sadors of countries of the region, such as H.e. dr.Hussein Omran, ambassador of Syria, H.e. rachadBouhlal, ambassador of Morocco and H.e. ahmadMohamed Yousif aldoseri, ambassador of Bahrain.as a whole, the conference painted a positive pic-ture of the economies of the region and gave busi-nesses confidence in a future upswing.



H.e. Gerhard Schröder and H.e. Muhammad Chatami, Former iranian President

NUMOV was also presentwith an exhibition booth atthe international fair“Wasser Berlin 2009” atMesse Berlin.

On 1st april 2009, NUMOV held a conference „Waterand Wastewater in the Near and Middle east”. theconference provided for an exchange of best-prac-tices in areas such as sewage disposal, water andwastewater sector reform, and desalination of sea-water in the region. the conference took place in theframework of the international fair “Water and WasteWater” at Messe Berlin.

On 2nd april 2009, NUMOV took part in the 3rd

thuringian Foreign trade Conference in Jena.Under the title “Growth through Global trade”, theconference was organised as a sign of defiance:thuringian companies were invited to look for busi-ness opportunities in prosperous foreign markets inspite of times of global crisis and economic chal-lenges.

the 5th NUMOV German-Middle east Businessround table focused on the industry of iran. it tookplace on 27th april 2009, in düsseldorf. Guest of hon-our from iran was H.e. ahmad Ghalebani, deputyMinister of industries and Mines and Chairman ofthe Board of executives of industrial developmentand renovation Organization of iran (idrO), dr.Manouchehr Manteghi, Senior adviser for theMinister, Ministry of industries and Mines of theislamic republic of iran, Seyed Mohammad reza



f.l.t.r.: H.e. ali reza Sheikh attar, ambassador of the islamic republic of iran;H.e. ahmad Ghalebani, deputy Minister of industries and Mines and Chairmanof the Board of executives of industrial development and renovationOrganization of iran (idrO); dr. Martin Herrenknecht, Chairman of the Board ofHerrenknecht aG, deputy Chairman of the Board of NUMOV; Burkhard dahmen,Member of the Board of SMS Siemag aG, Member of the Board of NUMOV; dr.Manouchehr Manteghi, Senior adviser for the Minister, Ministry of industries andMines of the islamic republic of iran



the first German-Middle east energy round tabletook place on 5th May 2009 in Berlin. the round tablefocused on iran. H.e. Gerhard Schröder, formerChancellor of Germany and Honorary Chairman ofNUMOV, and H.e. Gholamhossein Nozari, Ministerof Oil of iran, chaired the event, which featuredmany high-ranking guests.

a delegation from afghanistan under the leadershipof H.e. President Hamid Karzai took part in aBusiness round table organised by the GermanOrient-institute and NUMOV on 10th May 2009 inBerlin. in the insightful conference, both H.e.President Hamid Karzai as well as the afghanMinister of Foreign affairs, H.e. dr. rangin dadfarSpanta, the Minister of economy, H.e. OmarZakhilwal, and the Finance Minister, H.e.

Participants of the 5th NUMOV German-Middle east Business round table, which focused on the industry of iran

Najmossadat, Chairman & Managing director ofNational iranian Steel Company (NiSCO) and dr.Salekho, department of economy and internationalaffairs, Ministry of industries and Mines of theislamic republic of iran. the aim of the conference,for one, was to introduce information on investmentpossibilities in iran, and, secondly, to present andshare experiences of German businesses active iniran.

Wahidullah Shahrani, gave insights and providedexamples of the investment potential in afghanistanfor foreign and German investors. He also pointed

out, however, that obstacles to investors and trade ingeneral still exist, but urged German investors tononetheless take advantage of the opportunities inthe infrastructure sector which had been provided bythe privatisation and liberalisation policy of theKarzai government. apart from H.e. PresidentKarzai, Karl Wendling, deputy Under-Secretary forForeign trade relations at the German FederalMinistry of economics and technology, also con-tributed to the round table discussion with his in-depth knowledge.

29th May 2009 marked the celebrations of the 75th

anniversary of the German Near and Middle eastassociation held at the prestigious Konzerthaus atthe Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin. the day comprised



Venue of the roundtable discussion: the “Palaissaal” at the adlonKempinski Hotel in Berlin

f.l.t.r.: Humayun Hamidzada, Spokesman for the afghan President; H.e.Prof. dr. Maliha Zulfacar, afghan ambassador to Germany; H.e. OmarZakhilwal, Minister of economy; H.e. dr. rangin Spanta, Minister of Foreignaffairs; dr. dieter ernst, Chairman of Berlinwasser international aG andNUMOV member of the Board; H.e. Hamid Karzai, President ofafghanistan; dr. Gunter Mulack, director of the German Orient-institute(dOi); Karl Wendling, deputy Under-Secretary for Foreign trade relationsat the German Ministry of economics and technology; H.e. WahidullahShahrani, Minister of Finance; Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV and BerndMützelburg, Special envoy to afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign affairs

three important events, the first being the NUMOVMember’s annual Meeting for the year 2009. themembership statistics and turnover of the past yearreflected the ever-increasing success of NUMOV. infact, the association recorded its best results to datefor the year 2009, with more than 600 members.

the afternoon saw the NUMOV Near and Middleeast annual economic Conference 2009. as befit-ting the occasion of the anniversary, the conference



H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Honorary Chairman of NUMOV and formerChancellor of the Federal republic of Germany and H.H. Sheikha MozahBint Nasser al Missned

Konzerthaus Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt

assembled high-ranking speakers. dieter ernst,Member of the Board of NUMOV and Chairman ofthe Board of Berlinwasser international aG, chairedthe conference and welcomed the speakers: H.e.Moncef Ben abdallah, ambassador of the republicof tunisia to Germany and doyen of the arabambassadors, H.e. ali reza Sheikh attar,ambassador of the islamic republic of iran inGermany, H.e. Jamal ali Omar el-Baraq,ambassador of the Great Socialist People’s libyanarab Jamahiriya to Germany, H.e. alaa al-Hashimy,ambassador of the republic of iraq in Germany,H.e. ahmad Muhammad aldoseri, ambassador ofthe Kingdom of Bahrain in Germany, H.e. Hael al-Fahoum, Palestine General delegate to Germany,H.e. Prof. dr. Maliha Zulfacar, the ambassador ofthe islamic republic of afghanistan in Germany andH.e. dr. Hussein Omran, ambassador of the Syrianarab republic to Germany. Numerous representa-tives of the German business community joined inlistening to the speeches and presentations, andgained first-hand insights into current trends andfuture developments in the region.

the conference was followed by a splendid Galaevent held at the Grand Hall of the Konzerthaus inthe evening. More than 1,450 guests were there towitness the ceremony. the guest of honour wasH.H. Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser al Missned, con-sort of H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al thani,emir of Qatar, and Chairperson of Qatar Foundation.



f.l.t.r.: H.e. Prof. dr. Maliha Zulfacar, ambassador of the islamic republic ofafghanistan in Germany; H.e. ahmad Muhammad aldoseri, ambassador of theKingdom of Bahrain to Germany; H.e. Jamal ali Omar el-Baraq, ambassador ofthe Great Socialist People’s libyan arab Jamahiriya to Germany; H.e. MoncefBen abdallah, ambassador of the republic of tunisia to Germany and doyen ofthe arab ambassadors in Germany; dieter ernst, Member of the Board ofNUMOV and Chairman of the Board of Berlinwasser international aG; H.e. alireza Sheikh attar, ambassador of the islamic republic of iran in Germany; H.e.ahmad Muhammad aldoseri, ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain toGermany; H.e. dr. Hussein Omran, ambassador of the Syrian arab republic toGermany; H.e. Hael al-Fahoum, Palestine General delegate to Germany

in his speech, NUMOV Honorary Chairman and for-mer Chancellor H.e. Gerhard Schröder emphasisedthe economic, cultural and scientific ties betweenGermany and the Near and Middle east. touchingon several current political, cultural and social top-ics, H.e. Gerhard Schröder pointed out that Qatar isa good example of how a country may use its rich-ness in natural resources to bring aboutsustainable development, peace and socialprogress.

Martin Bay, Chairman of the Board of NUMOV andChairman of the Board of Managing directors ofdeutsche Bahn international, followed as the sec-ond speaker of the evening. He elaborated on thehistory of NUMOV, underlining important events andmilestones in the history and development of theassociation, and noting the association’s status asthe oldest and most well-known association of itskind in Germany.

Next, H.H. Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser al Missnedaddressed the audience. She congratulated H.e.Gerhard Schröder, representing the Board ofNUMOV, as well as the representatives and execu-tives of NUMOV on the occasion of its 75th anniver-sary, and praised the association’s diligent work inbuilding partnership between Germany and the Nearand Middle east.

Further on in her speech, she commented on herofficial visit to several German cities in the previousdays and the positive economic relations betweenGermany and Qatar. She went on to outline a visionof Qatar’s path into the future: Qatar was to be trans-formed into a hydrocarbon, knowledge-based econ-omy by attracting commercially-oriented researchand development.

Going on, she presented the Qatar Symphony to theguests in the grand hall. the Qatar Symphony con-cert, performed by the Qatar Symphonic Orchestra,



is the first symphonic composition to interpret thestory of the challenges and achievements of theState of Qatar. H.H. Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser al

Missned concluded her introduction of the sympho-ny by saying that she hoped tonight the audiencewould learn more about the people of Qatar, just asshe had learned a lot about the German andWestern european people, by partaking in the musical story.

Subsequently, and while the orchestra arranged atthe orchestra pit, the German journalist SusanneKoelbl explained the composition of the symphony,which unifies Oriental melodies with Western stan-dards of composition. the Qatar Symphony, com-posed by dr. Salem abdul-Karem, was then per-formed by the Qatar Symphony Orchestra. therecital lasted one hour and was met with enthusias-tic applause. With the end of the concert, the doorsof the great hall were opened and the festive dinnerbegan. an entire floor of the Konzerthaus had beenmade available for the occasion, creating ampleopportunity for conversations and networking.

the Gala event was attended by numerous influen-tial office holders and high-ranking personalities.among them were H.e. dr. dirk Baumgartner,ambassador of Germany to Qatar, H.e. rachadBouhlal, ambassador of Morocco, H.e. Moncef Ben



the Qatar Symphonic Orchestra with conductor dr. Salem abdul-Karem

abdallah, ambassador of tunisia and doyen of thearab ambassadors and Hartmut Mehdorn, Memberof the Board of NUMOV. Prior to the Gala event,H.H. Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser al Missned hadbeen welcomed by H.e. Stanislaw tillich, Minister-President of the Free State of Saxony upon herarrival at dresden international airport on 27th May.

in the following days, H.H. Sheikha Mozah BintNasser al Missned met with many high-rankingGerman political figures, including H.e. dr. Karl-theodor Freiherr zu Guttenberg, then-FederalMinister of economics and technology, in order todiscuss issues relating to education and technology,as well as H.e. dr. Frank Walter Steinmeier, FederalForeign Minister, and shared lunch with H.e.Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of Germanyand Honorary Chairman of NUMOV, at the Hoteladlon.

From 3rd to 5th June 2009, the German Orient-institute and NUMOV participated in the deutscheWelle Global Media Forum held in Bonn.

the annual “Wirtschaftstag” of the Council ofeconomic advisers of the German Christiandemocratic Party (CdU) was held on June 16th,2009. NUMOV was represented with a stand at thisevent, which is one of the largest in Berlin and wasattended by 1,900 participants in 2009.

On 19th June 2009, NUMOV organised the confer-ence “energy-efficiency in turkey’s industrialenterprises” in the framework of the energy-efficiency export initiative on behalf of the GermanFederal Ministry of economics and technology.More than sixty participants gathered to attend theevent chaired by Peter dingens, ambassador ret.and Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV. leonMascioszek, Head of the Berlin Office of KfWdevelopment Bank, and Susanne lein of theCoordination Office of the energy-efficiency export



H.H. Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser alMissned and eva luise Köhler

H.H. Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser alMissned and H.e. dr. Karl-theodorFreiherr zu Guttenberg

H.H. Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser alMissned and H.e. dr. Frank-WalterSteinmeier, Federal Minister for Foreignaffairs

initiative gave an introduction to the economic rela-tions between Germany and turkey, as well as tothe possibilities of funding within the export initiative.Subsequently, a number of turkish speakers repre-senting official and public institutions, as well as rep-resentatives of German businesses, shared theirknowledge with regard to the opportunities in, andrequirements of, turkey with respect to energy-effi-ciency in the industrial sector.

On 23rd June 2009, the Minister of transportation ofthe republic of iraq, H.e. amir abd al-Jabar ismael,visited Germany to sign an iraqi-German agreementconcerning the iraqi railway system. On this occa-sion, he also held a meeting with 30 German busi-ness representatives from the transport sector at theGerman Chamber of industry and Commerce(diHK) in Berlin in cooperation with NUMOV.

NUMOV and the German Orient-institute held areception for eighteen young professional diplomatsfrom various countries of the Middle east and Northafrica in Berlin on 20th July 2009. the reception tookplace in the course of the five-week internationaltraining for international diplomats programmeestablished by the German Federal Foreign Office in1992.

24th July 2009 saw a NUMOV conference organisedin the framework of the energyefficiency export



f.l.t.r.: M. Murat Göğüş, Commercial Counsellor of the embassy of theturkish republic to Germany; Kaan Sayın, economic Counsellor of theembassy of the turkish republic to Germany; Michael Maasmeier, Germanrepresentative of the investment Support and Promotion agency of thePrime Ministry of the republic of turkey and Managing director of theCounterpart Group; Susanne lein, Coordination Office of the energyefficiency export initiative; leon Macioszek, Head of the Berlin Office ofKfW development Bank and Peter dingens, ambassador (ret.) and Memberof the advisory Board of NUMOV

initiative on behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology. the conference wasentitled “energy-efficient Construction and energy-efficient Heating and Cooling Systems in Morocco”and was hosted by the Permanent representation ofthe Free State of Saxony to the Federation in Berlin.the one-day event comprised presentations byexperts in the field from Germany and Morocco.

On 8th September 2009, NUMOV organised a semi-nar to inform its members and other interested com-panies on the relevant legal considerations for doingbusiness in the region of the Near and Middle east.the seminar “regulatory Framework for Business inthe Near and Middle east” was held at the BHFBank’s headquarters in Frankfurt/M. and attractedabout 100 participants. Prof. dr. Mathias rohe,University of erlangen-Nürnberg and Member of theBoard of trustees of the German Orient-institute,facilitated the seminar, which comprised speakersfrom well-known law firms and experts in the variousfields of law in the region. topics up for discussionincluded the role of commercial agents, real estatelaws in the region, and export restrictions.

the 86th NUMOV-länderforum was held in Munichon 22nd September 2009. the forum was hosted byHans Wolfgang Kunz, Member of the Board ofNUMOV and Managing director of Giesecke &devrient GmbH. H.e. Matthias Meyer, Germanambassador to libya, attended the event as guestspeaker, and consequently libya was in the focus ofthe discussion, which, however, also revolvedaround the general global economic situation.

On 1st October 2009, NUMOV organised the confer-ence “Geothermal energy in turkey” at the GFZGerman research Centre for Geosciences inPotsdam, in the framework of the renewablesenergies export initiative on behalf of the FederalMinistry of economics and technology.



H.e. Matthias Meyer,German ambassadorto libya

From 4th to 7th October 2009, in cooperation withGerman exhibitors, NUMOV exhibited at theGerman pavilion at the trade fair Saudi Build 2009,which was held for the 21st time in the capital of theKingdom of Saudi arabia, riyadh, and promoted bythe German Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology.

From 5th to 9th October 2009 was marked by a visit ofa business delegation from the MeNa to Germany.NUMOV organised the delegation for solar energyon behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology in the framework of therenewable energies export initiative. Over fifty par-ticipants from the entire MeNa region took part in thefive-day trip to erfurt to meet potential business part-ners and to tour regional companies active in thesolar energy sector. apart from German companiespresenting their skills and knowledge, experts fromthe region also contributed market insights andinvestment information.

On 21st October 2009, NUMOV organised its 6th

NUMOV German – Middle east Business round



Participants of the conference “Geothermal energy in turkey” in front of theGFZ German research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam

the MeNa delegation members in front of Masdar PV GmbH inichtershausen

table in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. the eventwelcomed members from Germany and the Middleeast, in particular from Saudi arabia, the Unitedarab emirates, iraq, iran, Qatar and Bahrain. theround table aimed to foster the economic relationsbetween Germany and the countries of the Near andMiddle east, with a special focus on long-term coop-eration.

in November 2009, a contract was signed by a jointventure between Qatari diar real estate investmentCompany and deutsche Bahn aG for the establish-ment of the Qatar railways development Company.the contract, worth eUr 17bn, was signed byGhanim Bin Saad al Saad, Managing director andCeO of Qatari diar real estate investmentCompany, dr. rüdiger Grube, CeO and Chairman ofthe Management Board of deutsch Bahn aG, andMartin Bay, Chairman of the Board of Managingdirector of deutsche Bahn international andChairman of the Board of NUMOV.



f.l.t.r.: Martin Bay, Chairman of the Board of Managing directors, deutsche Bahninternational and Chairman of the Board of NUMOV; H.e. dr. dirk Baumgartner,German ambassador to Qatar; dr. Hassan al Fadala, dCeO Operations, Qataridiar; H.e. dr. Peter ramsauer, Minister of transport of the Federal republic ofGermany; H.e. dr. Khalid al attiya, State Minister for international Cooperation;H.e. Sheikh abdulrahman al thani, Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning;dr. rüdiger Grube, Chairman of the Board, deutsche Bahn aG; Ghanim al Saad,Md. and CeO, Qatari diar and Mr. ali al abdullah, General director of UPda

H.e. dr. Hubert lang, ambassador of the Federal republic of Germany toBahrain, cutting the cake together with dr. Nazar al Baharma, Minister of State forForeign affairs of Bahrain, and further diplomats and guests

From 2nd to 6th November 2009, NUMOV organised abusiness delegation of high-ranking representativesof Saudi institutions and companies to North rhine-Westphalia. the delegation visit took place in theframework of the energy efficiency export initiativeand on behalf of the Federal Ministry of economicsand technology. in the course of the delegation visit,the economic Conference Saudi arabia was held indüsseldorf on 3rd November 2009.

the conference, hosted by the NUMOV Member ofthe Board thyssenKrupp aG, focused on informationabout energy efficiency, and comprised Saudi dele-gation members as well as German company repre-sentatives. the delegation visit also included visitsto companies in the field.

On the occasion of the visit of thirteen young profes-sional diplomats from iraq, NUMOV held a receptionat its premises on 12th November 2009. again in theframework of a programme initiated by the GermanFederal Foreign Office, the delegation of young iraqidiplomats was held in the course of the thirdexecutive Seminar for diplomats from iraq.

On 30th November 2009, NUMOV organised yetanother economic conference: the Near and Middleeast economic Conference: Focus iraq. the confer-ence was organised together with the Council ofeconomic advisers of Saxony and held at SaB, thedevelopment Bank of the German State of Saxony.Several expert speakers contributed to the confer-ence, as well as H.e. alaa a. Hussain al-Hashimy,ambassador of the republic of iraq to Germany.



Young iraqi diplomats at NUMOV

Participants of the Near and Middle easteconomic Conference Focus iraq indresden

Pakistan and Germany signed a new bilateral invest-ment treaty in the course of a visit by the PrimeMinister of Pakistan, H.e. Yousaf raza Gilani, toGermany from 30th November to 2nd december2009. the investment agreement regarding the“encouragement and reciprocal Protection ofinvestments” is a renewal of the world’s first invest-ment treaty, signed between Pakistan and Germanyin 1959.

NUMOV welcomed a business delegation fromturkey in Berlin from 14th-18th december, 2009.Within the framework of the German energyefficiency export initiative and on behalf of theGerman Ministry of economics and technology,turkish business representatives were invited toreceive detailed information on how to reconcile eco-nomic growth and ecological sustainability. the delegation was supported by the embassy of therepublic of turkey in Germany and the technologydevelopment Foundation of turkey.

On 13th January 2010, NUMOV organised a confer-ence on railway infrastructure in the Near andMiddle east in cooperation with deutsche Bahninternational, the international branch of the Germanrailway company deutsche Bahn. the conferencewas held in Berlin and gave participants insights intoupcoming projects, as well as outlining the future ofrail transport on the arabian Peninsula.



f.l.t.r.: H.e. Senator Waqar ahmad Khan,Minister for investment of the islamicrepublic of Pakistan; dr. Peter ammon,State Secretary of the German FederalForeign Office and rainer Brüderle,German Federal Minister of economicsand technology

f.l.t.r.: Christoph Holzäpfel from limón GmbH; emrah alkaya, assistantexpert from technology development Foundation turkey; Cora lehmannfrom the Coordination Office energy efficiency export initiative; Peterdingens, ambassador (ret.) and Member of the advisory Broad of NUMOV;Horst Zapf from KfW banking group and dr. Jürgen Schneider from aBB 2010

Martin Bay, Chairman ofthe Board of Managingdirectors, dB internationaland Chairman of theBoard of NUMOV

14th January 2010 marked the day of the 87th

NUMOV-länderforum in Berlin. the event was host-ed by the Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology. the Ministry was represented by H.e.dr. Karl-ernst Brauner, Head of directorate-Generalon external economic Policy at the Ministry. themany representatives of the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology offered first-hand infor-mation on various economic subjects relating to theNear and Middle east.

On 19th February 2010, NUMOV and the libyan-German Chamber of industry and Commerce co-organised the German-libyan “deutsch-libyscherWirtschaftstag.” the conference, which was the firstmajor meeting between more than 120 high-profilerepresentatives of German and libyan businesses,government bodies and financial institutions, was agreat success, highlighting the enormous potentialfor greater German-libyan bilateral economic rela-tions. apart from business representatives, libyanambassador to Germany H.e. Jamal ali Omar el-Baraq, German ambassador to libya H.e. Matthias



f.l.t.r.: H.e. dr. Herbert Honsowitz, ambassador ret., Member of the advisoryBoard, NUMOV; Helene rang, CeO and dp. Chairperson, NUMOV; H.e. dr. Karl-ernst Brauner, Head of directorate-General on external economic Policy, FederalMinistry of economics and technology; Karl Wendling, Subdivision deputydirector General for Foreign technology law, export Control, economicCooperation North africa, Middle east, Federal Ministry of economics and trade;dr. alexander tettenborn, Head of division for North africa and the Near andMiddle east, Federal Ministry of economics and technology; H.e. Peter dingens,ambassador ret., Member of the advisory Board, NUMOV

Participants of the conference on railway projects in the Near and Middle east

Meyer, and dr. alexander tettenborn of the GermanFederal Ministry of economics and technology, par-ticipated in the conference.

NUMOV co-organised a high-ranking German eco-nomic delegation headed by H.e. dr. BerndPfaffenbach, State Secretary at the German FederalMinistry of economics and technology, to Syria andlebanon from 22nd to 26th February 2010. More thantwenty German business representatives from avariety of sectors participated in the five-day trip thatoffered exclusive opportunities for business talkswith high-level representatives of Syrian andlebanese ministries and companies.

in Syria, the delegation was received by H.e. dr.andreas reinicke, German ambassador to Syria,H.e. dr. abdullah al-dardari, Syrian deputy PrimeMinister for economic affairs, H.e. Muhammad Najial-Outri, the Prime Minister of the Syrian arabrepublic, and the Syrian Minister of economics andtrade, H.e. dr. lamia Marai aasi. in lebanon, thedelegation was welcomed by H.e. Birgitta Siefker-eberle, the German ambassador to lebanon, andmet with the Prime Minister of the republic oflebanon, H.e. Saad Hariri, among others.

Within the framework of the German renewableenergies export initiative and on behalf of theGerman Federal Ministry of economics and



H.e. dr. abdullah al-dardari and H.e. dr.Bernd Pfaffenbach

H.e. Matthias Meyer, German ambassador to the Great Socialist People’slibyan arab Jamahiriya (4th from left) and H.e. Jamal ali Omar el-Baraq,ambassador of the Great Socialist People’s libyan arab Jamahiriya toGermany (4th from right) with the Honoraries of the Conference

H.e. dr. BerndPfaffenbach and H.e. Saad Hariri

H.e. Muhammad Najial-Outri and H.e. dr.Bernd Pfaffenbach

technology, NUMOV welcomed a business delega-tion from turkey to Baden-Wuerttemberg from 23rd to26th February 2010. twenty-five business represen-tatives were invited to receive information on tech-nologies and know-how in the field of renewableenergies. the delegation trip comprised severalcompany visits, a visit to the exhibition GeotHerMat Offenburg, as well as the conference GeothermalPotential in turkey organised by NUMOV.

On 2nd March 2010, NUMOV and the GermanOrient-institute held a round table discussion oneconomic cooperation between Germany,afghanistan and Pakistan on the premises of therepresentation of the Free and Hanseatic City ofHamburg in Berlin.

the event took place on the occasion of a delegationvisit from afghanistan and Pakistan organised by theGerman Federal Foreign Office and was attended bybusiness as well as political and research represen-tatives. Several aspects of regional developments,challenges, and projects as well as opportunities forcooperating with international partners wereaddressed during the round table discussion.Members of delegation from afghanistan andPakistan were, H.e. Ghulam Mustafa Jawad, deputyMinister of the afghan Ministry of agriculture, H.e.Wais Barmak, deputy Minister of the afghan Ministryof rural rehabilitation and development, H.e.enayatullah Nabiel, director General of economic



round table on economic Cooperation between Germany, afghanistanand Pakistan on the premises of the representation of the Free andHanseatic City of Hamburg in Berlin

affairs of the afghan Ministry of Foreign affairs, H.e.Haji Qurban Kohistani, deputy Chairman of theNational economic Commission of the Wolesi Jirga(lower House), H.e. ilyas ahmed Bilour, Chairmanof the Pakistani Senate Standing Committee onCommerce, H.e. abdul razzaq Baloch, Chairman ofthe executive Committee of the BalochistanChamber of Commerce & industries (BCC&i), H.e.rubina irfan, Balochistan Minister of law &Parliamentary affairs and deputy of the Provincialassembly of Balochistan, and H.e. raheela durrani,Balochistan Minister for Prosecution and deputy ofthe Provincial assembly of Balochistan.

From 14th to 16th March 2010 the fifth meeting of theemirati German Friendship Society (eGFS) tookplace in abu dhabi and the Western region of theUnited arab emirates, on invitation of H.H. SheikhHamdan Bin Zayed al Nahyan, ruler’srepresentative of the Western region and Co-Honorary Chairman of the eGFS. H.e. GerhardSchröder, former Chancellor of the Federal republicof Germany and Honorary Chairman of NUMOV /German Near and Middle east association and Co-Honorary Chairman of eGFS, led the German groupof 27 eGFS-Members to the United arab emirates. during the traditional opening meeting, Berndromanski, Member of the Management Board ofHOCHtieF Facility Management GmbH and



H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former Chancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany, Honorary Chairman of NUMOV and Co-Honorary Chairman ofthe emirati German Friendship Society and H.H. Sheikh Hamdan BinZayed al Nahyan, ruler’s representative of the Western region of theUnited arab emirates and Co-Honorary Chairman of the emirati GermanFriendship Society

Chairman of the emirati German Friendship Society,highlighted the activities of the past and announcedthat the eGFS would continue to expand its activitiesin the fields of research, education, culture, econo-my and the exchange of knowledge.

Under the patronage and on invitation of H.M. KingHamad Bin isa al Khalifa, a high-ranking Germanbusiness delegation led by H.e. Gerhard Schröder,Former Chancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany and Honorary Chairman of NUMOV /German Near and Middle east association visitedthe Kingdom of Bahrain from 16th to 18th March2010. the delegation comprised of high-rankingbusiness representatives from all business andindustry sectors, with a special focus on Bahrain.H.e. Gerhard Schröder was received by H.r.H.Prince Khalifa Bin Salman al Khalifa, Prime Ministerof the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Furthermore, the delegation attended a meeting withH.e. Fahmi Bin ali al Jowder, Minister of Works ofthe Kingdom of Bahrain in Manama. in the eveningof 17th March 2010, the delegation followed an invi-tation to a festive dinner in honour of H.e. GerhardSchröder and the German delegation on invitationby H.e. dr. Hassan Fakhro, Minister of industryand Commerce. On Wednesday, 17th March, underthe patronage of His Majesty the King, theinvestment seminar “Bahrain-Germany economicForum” took place, attended by a great numberof high-ranking attendants. On the same



Members of the emirati German Friendship Society in the Western regionof the United arab emirates

day, the delegation had the great honour of an audi-ence by H.M. Hamad Bin isa al Khalifa, King ofBahrain, at the al Sakhir Palace in Manama. HisMajesty the King welcomed the former GermanChancellor and his accompanying delegation, laud-ing the Bahraini-German relations of friendship andcooperation. He stated that the visit would be anexcellent opportunity to further strengthen the twocountries’ economic and commercial ties and toboost bilateral cooperation. the delegation trip fin-ished with a reception at the wonderful residence ofH.e. dr. Hubert lang, ambassador of the Federalrepublic of Germany to the Kingdom of Bahrain,that was also attended by many high-ranking guestsfrom the Kingdom and Germany.

On 18th March 2010, H.e. abdullah bin Hamad alattiyah, deputy Prime Minister and Minister of energyand industry of the State of Qatar, arrived in Berlin on



H.M. King Hamad Bin isa al Khalifa with H.e.Gerhard Schröder and H.e. dr. Hubert lang,ambassador of the Federal republic of Germanyto the Kingdom of Bahrain

H.e. abdullah bin Hamad al attiyah, deputyPrime Minister and Minister of energy andindustry of the State of Qatar and H.e. dr.Guido Westerwelle, Minister of Foreignaffairs of the Federal republic of Germany

an official visit to Germany. His first visit was to H.e.dr. Guido Westerwelle, Minister of Foreign affairs ofthe Federal republic of Germany, who visited Qatarin January 2010. in the evening, the deutsche BahnaG, the German railway Company, held a receptionon the occasion of the visit of H.e. al attiyah at theBahntower which was attended by high-level officials,among them H.e. Gerhard Schröder, FormerChancellor of the Federal republic of Germany andHonorary Chairman of NUMOV, H.e. abdulrahmanMohamed Sulaiman al Khulaifi, ambassador of theState of Qatar to the Federal republic of Germany,Martin Bay, Chairman of the Board of Managingdirectors of dB international, German railway Groupand Chairman of NUMOV, dr. rüdiger Grube,Chairman of the Board, deutsche Bahn aG, dr. BerndPfaffenbach, State Secretary at the Federal Ministryof economics and technology and Helene rang,CeO and deputy Chairman of NUMOV. On 19th

March, H.e. al attiyah met with H.e. rainer Brüderle,Minister of economics and technology of the Federal



H.e. abdulrahman Mohamed Sulaiman alKhulaifi, ambassador of the State of Qatar toGermany and H.e. Gerhard Schröder,Former Chancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany and Honorary Chairman ofNUMOV

(f.l.t.r.) dr. rüdiger Grube, Chairman of the Board of deutsche Bahn aG;dr. Jürgen Großmann, President and CeO of the executive Board of rWeGroup; H.e. abdullah bin Hamad al attiyah, deputy Prime Minister andMinister of energy and industry of the State of Qatar; dr. Jochen Weise,Member of the executive Board of e.ON ruhrgas aG and Member of theBoard of NUMOV; H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany and Honorary Chairman of NUMOV; MarcHall, Managing director of Bayerngas GmbH and Member of the Board ofNUMOV; Martin Bay, Chairman of the Board of Managing directors of dBinternational and Chairman of the Board of NUMOV; H.e. dr. BerndPfaffenbach, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of economicsand technology

republic of Germany, and held talks with a focus onenergy policy. H.e. rainer Brüderle stressed theimportance of cooperation with the key states ofenergy supply for it creates the basis for stablegrowth and employment in Germany.

in the framework of the energy efficiency exportinitiative, on behalf of the German Federal Ministryof economics and technology, NUMOV, the GermanNear and Middle east association organised theinformation Seminar tUNiSia on 26th March 2010 inessen. the information seminar was hosted byNUMOV member company HOCHtieF energyManagement GmbH. in addition to the delegationfrom tunisia, a number of German company repre-sentatives participated in the seminar to gather infor-mation and to establish contacts with the tunisianofficials and company representatives.

On 28th March 2010 deutsche Bahn aG, the Germanrailway Company, and the al-Masaood Group, oneof the leading industrial corporations in the Uae andalready cooperating with various German compa-nies in the field of transport and logistics, signed amemorandum of understanding to work on the ambi-tious railway project of the United arab emirates.the agreement contains a strategic partnership forthe planning, construction and operation of rail sys-tems in the Uae. the ceremony was attended byH.e. dr. Peter ramsauer, Federal Minister of



H.e. rainer Brüderle, Minister of economicsand technology of the Federal republic ofGermany and H.e. abdullah bin Hamad alattiyah, deputy Prime Minister and Ministerof energy and industry of the State of Qatar

f.l.t.r.: Michael Mertens, Head of Project development of HOCHtieFenergy Management GmbH; Wacef Chiha, Head of the economicdepartment of the embassy of the tunisian republic, and Mounir Bahri,director of the tunisian agence Nationale pour la Maîtrise de l’Énergie(aNMe)

f.l.t.r.: front row: abdullah al Masaood, dr.rüdiger Grube, Martin Bay - f.l.t.r.: back row:Hassan Maatouk, dr. Peter ramsauer,Mohamed Genedy

transport of the Federal republic of Germany, H.e.abdullah al Masaood, Chairman of the al MasaoodGroup, dr. rüdiger Grube, Chairman of theManagement Board and CeO of deutsche Bahn aGas well as Martin Bay, Chairman of the ManagementBoard of dB international GmbH and Chairman ofthe Board of NUMOV.

On 31st March 2010, NUMOV, the German Near andMiddle east association, organised an economicseminar in preparation for a German economic del-egation to algeria from 25th to 28th May 2010 onbehalf of the German Federal Ministry of economicsand technology. the economic Seminar algeriatook place at the HypoVereinsbank in Berlin. themain objectives of the seminar were to provide basicinformation about algeria concerning economicdevelopments, economic freedom and legal aspectsas well business opportunities in the country to theGerman company representatives participating inthe event and to prepare for the following delegationvisit to algeria.

in the framework of the renewable export initiativeand on behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, NUMOV, the GermanNear and Middle east association organised a one-

day conference on the subject of Photovoltaic inturkey which took place on 7th april 2010 at the KfWbanking group in Frankfurt/M. With an annual sun-



f.l.t.r.: Prof. dr. tanay Sidki Uyar, President of eurosolar association turkey, VicePresident of eurosolar and director of the New technology research anddevelopment Centre at Marmara University, istanbul; Peter dingens,ambassador (ret.), Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV; Prof. dr. Siddikicli, Solar energy institute, ege University, Bornova/izmir and Mehmet Özer,General Manager of tuncmatik aS and President of the turkish Gunese Solarelectricity Producers Photovoltaic industry and Businessmen association

H.e. Madjid Bouguerra, ambassador ofthe People’s democratic republic ofalgeria to the Federal republic ofGermany

shine duration of 2,640 hours and an annual hori-zontal solar irradiation of approximately 1,300kWh/sq.m, turkey belongs to the countries boastingsome of the highest values worldwide. due to itshigh potential for solar energy, turkey provideslucrative business opportunities for German compa-nies wishing to share technological expertise formutual benefit.

From 18th to 22nd april 2010 a delegation from thearab countries visited the city of Hanover in theframework of the energy efficiency export initiative.the major event for the delegates was the economicConference arab Countries, a series of talksfocussing on the possibilities of energy managementin German and arab industry. this was followed bydiscussions during which the potential for futurecooperation between German and arab companies.

On 21st april 2010 NUMOV organized the iraqi-German Business Forum on behalf of the GermanFederal Ministry for economics and technology atthe BaUMa fair in Munich. a delegation of iraqientrepreneurs engaged in construction, engineeringand infrastructure development began their visit toGermany by attending the event. topic of the talksthat comprised the business forum was potentialbusiness opportunities in iraq, with speakers high-lighting the relationship between iraq and Germanyas business partners. the Business Forum conclud-ed with a discussion in which participants



Participants of the delegation at the stand of Herrenknecht aG togetherwith dr. Martin Herrenknecht, Chairman of the Board of Herrenknecht aGand deputy Chairman of the Board of NUMVOV

exchanged experiences and visions for sustainableand successful cooperation between the two coun-tries.

H.H. Sheikh Sabah al-ahmad al-Sabah, emir of theState of Kuwait, made an official visit to Germanyfrom 25th-29th april 2010. He met with H.e. dr. angelaMerkel, Chancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany. as Kuwait chairs the Gulf CooperationCouncil (GCC) in 2010, discussions with H.e. dr.angela Merkel included talks on the development ofrelations between the GCC and the eU concerninga Free trade agreement. H.H. Sheikh Sabah al-ahmad al-Sabah also met with H.e. Prof. dr. HorstKöhler, President of the Federal republic ofGermany and H.e. Prof. dr. Norbert lammert,President of the German Federal Parliament.

NUMOV, the German Near and Middle eastassociation organised the “Financing ConferenceNear and Middle east” with support of HSBCtrinkaus in düsseldorf on 28th april 2010. this con-ference provided a comprehensive overview of cur-rent economic developments and opportunities inthe Near and Middle east and presented countryspecific characteristics. in particular, the speakers atthe conference discussed various financing instru-ments as well as legal aspects which are evolvingfrom specific islamic structures.

On 6th May 2010, the thuringia Ministry foreconomy, labour and technology, together with theassociation for the development of thuringia incooperation with the thuringia Chambers of industryand Commerce organized the 4th thuringia Foreigntrade Congress day in the Congress Centre erfurtwith the focus on the topic “growth by world trade –future markets North africa, the Near and Middleeast and Central asia”. NUMOV presented currenteconomic developments in the Near and Middleeast region with a special focus on business oppor-tunities in Qatar and the United arab emirates.



andreas Schmitz, Chairman of theManagement Board of HSBC trinkaus

H.H. Sheikh Sabah al-ahmad al-Sabah,emir of the State of Kuwait and H.e. Prof.dr. Horst Köhler, President of the Federalrepublic of Germany

in preparation for a business delegation organizedon behalf of the German Federal Ministry foreconomics and technology, NUMOV invited inter-ested company representatives to the economicConference Pakistan held at the headquarters of theliNde aG in Munich on 11th May 2010. the confer-ence was organized in conjunction with the embassyof the islamic republic of Pakistan and was attend-ed by a high ranking Pakistani delegation led by H.e.Saleem H. Mandviwalla, Minister of State andChairman of the Board of investment and H.eShahid Kamal, ambassador of the islamic republicof Pakistan. the delegation was welcomed by dr.-ing. aldo Belloni, executive Board of liNde aG, whogave the opening address.

From 25th to 26th May 2010, the 8th Joint German-Uae economic Commission took place in abudhabi. during the talks several aspects of the eco-nomic cooperation between the two countries havebeen addressed. the growing importance of theeconomic relations was highlighted by the personalattendance of H.e. dr. angela Merkel, Chancellor ofthe Federal republic of Germany during the discus-sions. additionally, several ministers and companyrepresentatives took part in the commission.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, NUMOV, the GermanNear and Middle east association organised a busi-ness delegation to algiers, algeria from 25th to 28th

May 2010. the group of 20 German business repre-sentatives had the opportunity to meet with high-



f.l.t.r.: dr. Gunter Mulack, ambassador (ret.) Member of the advisory Board ofNUMOV, H.e. Shahid Kamal, ambassador of the islamic republic of Pakistan toGermany, H.e. Saleem H. Mandviwalla, Minister of State and Chairman of theBoard of investment, dr. Pantelis Christian Poetis, Honory Consul of the islamicrepublic of Pakistan to Munich, dr. Otmar Bernhard, former Bavarian Minister ofState and Member of the Committee for economic affairs, infrastructure,transport and technology of the Bavarian Parliament

ranking officials and learn first-hand about algeria’sexpansion plans and thus its construction sector.Ulrich Barow, Managing director of HOCHtieFConstruction aG, headed the delegation, accompa-nied by anton Breuer, from the division for Northafrica and the Near and Middle east at the GermanFederal Ministry of economics and technology. thedelegation was warmly received by Germanambassador to algeria, H.e. Matei ion Hoffman atthe German embassy in algiers. Over the course ofthe next few days the participants got to know high-level algerian business representatives and gainedan excellent insight into the algerian market.

H.r.H. Prince Salman bin abdulaziz al-Saud,Governor of the region of riyadh, accepted an invi-tation from the German Federal Government andH.e. Klaus Wowereit, Mayor of Berlin, to visitGermany’s capital city. arriving on Monday, 31st May2010, H.r.H. Prince Salman bin abdulaziz al-Saudwas welcomed by H.e. Klaus Wowereit. the initialgreetings were followed by discussions onpotential expansion of the already well establishedcooperation between Berlin and Saudi arabia. in theevening, H.r.H. Prince Salman Bin abdulaziz al-Saud signed the guestbook of the city of Berlin.H.r.H. Prince Salman bin abdualziz al-Saud wasawarded the Kant Medal by the Berlin-Brandenburgacademy of Science and Humanities onWednesday, 2nd June 2010.

in June 2010, the newest publication of the GermanOrient-institute, was released, the “Personalities ofthe countries of the GCC States”, a handbook thatcontains important information on personalities ofthe GCC states.



Participants of the German-algerian Business Forum in algiers

H.r.H. Prince Salman Bin abdulaziz al-Saud, Governor of the region of riyadh, fol-lowed an invitation by the Federal Governmentof Germany and H.e. Klaus Wowereit, Mayor of Berlin

On the 2nd and 3rd June 2010 the 11th meeting of theGerman-Omani Joint economic Commission tookplace in Berlin under the direction of H.e. dr.Bernd Pfaffenbach, State Secretary at the GermanFederal Ministry of economics and technology andH.e. Sayyid Badr Hamad al Bu Saidi, deputyForeign Minister of the Sultanate Oman. Both dis-cussed German-Omani business relations and oneof the key focuses of the commission was to encour-age business delegations, and promote cooperationfor small and medium-sized businesses, as well asdiscuss the development of vocational skills.Participants also heard informative presentations onkey areas of focus for the commission.

On 9th June 2010 NUMOV organized the FirstGerman-Near and Middle east aviation Conferencein cooperation with the German aerospaceindustries association (Bdli) at the ila Berlin airShow 2010. topic of the event, which was attendedby high-ranking speakers and numerous companyrepresentatives from Germany and the Near andMiddle east, was the expansion of the aviation sec-tor in recent years and the economic implicationsthereof. the speakers touched on the many poten-tial functions of aviation, particular in regards to eco-nomic development in the arab World, as well as thecurrent state of the industry.

the 14th June 2010 was reason for celebration asthe German Orient-institute, founded by NUMOV,the German and Near and Middle east association



H.e. Sayyid Badr Hamad al Bu Saidi, deputyForeign Minister of the Sultanate Oman; H.e.Sheikh dr. abdulmalik bin abdullah al Hinai,Undersecretary for economic affairs at theMinistry of National economy of the SultanateOman¸ H.e. Zainab ali Said al-Qasmi,ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman toGermany

f.l.t.r.: Gerold reichle, director General of Civil aviation at the Federal Ministryof transport, Building and Urban development and Member of the Board oftrustees of the German Orient-institute; H.e. abdel Nabi Mussayab,ambassador of the league of arab States; abdul Wahab teffaha, SecretaryGeneral of the arab air Carriers Organisation (aaCO); akbar al Baker, CeO ofQatar airways; Henry Hasselbarth, Vice President Central and North europe ofemirate airlines and dp. Chairman of the Board of the German Orient-Foundation and dr. Wolfgang Helbach, Member of the executive Board of theGerman aerospace industries association and CeO of aOa apparatebau GmbH

on this day in 1960, celebrated its 50th anniversary.the special gala event was opened by Martin Bay,Chairman of the Board of German railway Groupinternational, Chairman of the Board of NUMOV,and Member of the Board of the German OrientFoundation. in his speech Martin Bay said that theGerman Orient-institute is more relevant than everin these times of globalisation and as culturesbecome more interwoven. a particular highlight ofthe event was the endowment of the library of theGerman Orient institute to the institute of asian andafrican studies of Humboldt University, symbolisedby Martin Bay handing over the first book toProfessor dr. Michael linscheid, Vice President ofthe Humboldt University Berlin. H.e. GerhardSchröder also warmly welcomed all guests duringhis opening address and especially welcomed thevisit of H.r.H Prince turki al Faisal al-Saud,Chairman, Board of directors, King Faisal Centre forresearch and islamic Studies, stating that this wasan important signal in the further development ofrelations between Germany and the Near and

Middle east. H.r.H. Prince turki al Faisal al-Saudalso addressed the audience, praising the previousspeakers and expressed his hope that mutual effortsfrom the Western and Muslim world can cometogether. dr. Michael lüders, deputy Chairman of



H.r.H. Prince turki al Faisal al-Saud,Chairman, Board of directors, King FaisalCentre for research and islamic Studies andH.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former Chancellorand Honorary Chairman of NUMOV

Participants of the German Near and Middle east Conference 2010

the Board of the German Orient-Foundationaddressed the obstacles which face the academiclandscape concerning the representation of the Nearand Middle east and also handed out the prizes tothe winners of the German Orient-institute writingcompetition. each winner received a round-trip tick-et to a GCC country of their choice.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of theGerman Orient-institute a conference on politics,science, culture and economy in the Near andMiddle east was organised and also took place on14th June 2010 in Berlin. dr. Willi Steul, Chairman ofdeutschland radio and Member of the Board oftrustees of the German Orient-Foundation, wel-comed the participants and introduced the expertguest speakers including dr. Gunter Mulack,ambassador ret. and director of the German Orient-institute, H.e. Hubert lang, German ambassador toBahrain, Professor dr. Mathias rohe, University oferlangen-Nuremberg and Member of the Board oftrustees of the German Orient-institute, andProfessor dr. Yousef abdul Ghaffar, President of theUniversity of the Kingdom of Bahrain and Member ofthe Board of trustees of the German Orient-institute.

also taking place on 14th June 2010 was the NUMOVannual Meeting. despite difficult economic circum-stances due to the global financial crisis NUMOV,the German Near and Middle east association stillmanaged to increase its number members and con-tinued its success through 2009. this event furtherunderlined the success of both the German Nearand Middle east association and the GermanOrient-institute, with regard to its 50th anniversary,and exemplified the close connection between sci-entific research and economic activity of Germancompanies in the Near and Middle east region.

due to egypt’s continued economic strength andresulting growth, the country exhibits a sustained



H.r.H. Prince turki al Faisal al-Saud,Chairman, Board of directors, King FaisalCentre for research and islamic StudiesKingdom of Saudi-arabia

f.l.t.r.: Prof. dr. Mathias rohe, University oferlangen-Nuremberg and Member of theBoard of trustees of the German Orient-Foundation; H.e. dr. Hubert lang, Germanambassador to Bahrain; dr. Willi Steul,Chairman of deutschlandradio; dr. GunterMulack, ambassador (ret.) and director of theGerman Orient-institute; Prof. dr. Yousefabdul Ghaffar, President of the University ofthe Kingdom of Bahrain

market in the construction sector, despite the world-wide financial crisis. in light of this NUMOV orga-nized a business delegation to the cities ofalexandria and Cairo from 19th to 23rd June 2010 onbehalf of the German Federal Ministry of economicsand technology. Prior to the business delegation,NUMOV organized an economic seminar egypt inorder to inform interested company representativesabout the egyptian developments. the trip wasaimed at allowing representatives from small andmedium sized enterprises the opportunity to observebusiness opportunities firsthand. the delegationwas welcomed by H.e. Michael Bock, Germanambassador to egypt, who gave the delegationinsights into the country and encouraged them toseek business deals with the egyptians. On 20th

June the visiting German delegates met with com-pany representatives from the National Company forConstruction and development (NCCd). at thismeeting the group discussed egypt’s constructionsector and the potential need for German products.Following this the delegates visited the interbuildegypt 2010 trade fair.

On 21st June the delegation visited the Ministry forHousing, Utilities and Urban development, as wellas the major firms Orascom Construction industries(OCi) and arab Contractors. On 22nd June the dele-gation arrived in egypt’s second city of alexandriawhere they met with the representatives of the firmintermaint and the alexandria Business association(aBa).

On 24th June 2010 the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology held a seminar aboutthe various opportunities for companies and invest-ment groups to ensure themselves against exportand investment losses. the conference was held incooperation with the well-known German eulerHermes company. the participants of the confer-ence, all in all more than 280 businessmen andwomen, ministry officials, politicians as well aslawyers, had the possibility to join six different



the German delegation at the premises ofthe arab Contractors

f.l.t.r.: rainer Wietstock, PricewaterhouseCoopers; elmar Prost, Klöster Holding; rolfGrunwald, German investment anddevelopment Corporation; Joachim Steffens,Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology; dr. eberhardt Goerke, MetroGroup; Matthias döhrn, Siemens FinancialService; Helene rang, NUMOV andSebastian Sons, German Orient-institute

groups. in every single group particular aspects ofstate-guaranteed insurances were introduced anddiscussed.

On 1st July 2010, the United arab emirates andGermany reached an agreement on a new regula-tion of double taxation for companies which areactive in both countries. H.e. abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the Uae, and hisGerman counterpart, H.e. dr. Guido Westerwellemet in the Foreign Office in Berlin to sign the agree-ment and to discuss political issues of commoninterest. With the agreement, the two countriesended a short unregulated period since the previousagreement expired in december 2009.

On 5th July 2010, NUMOV and the German Orient-institute held a reception in Berlin for two groups of33 young professional diplomats. One group repre-senting several countries of the Middle east regionand North africa was headed by Folkmar W.O.Stoecker, ambassador (ret.), Programme director(NMO) international training for diplomats at theFederal Foreign Office, the other group, consistingof representatives from iraq, was led by dr. PeterSchmidt, ambassador (ret.) Programme director(iraq) international training for diplomats. theyoung diplomats were participants of the five weekprogramme ‘training for international diplomats’proceeding from 28th June to 30th July 2010, offeredby the German Foreign Service academy.

a business delegation from the Kingdom of Saudiarabia visited Germany from 2nd to 6th august 2010.the visit was organized by NUMOV in the frame-work of the renewable energies export initiative, onbehalf of the German Federal Ministry of economicsand technology. On 3rd august the delegates attend-ed a conference on Solar industry in Saudi arabiawhich took place in the State Chancellery of the fed-eral state of Saxony-anhalt. the Saudi visitors weremet by over 100 German company representativesand welcomed by H.e. dr. rainer Haselhoff, the



H.e. abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan,Foreign Minister of the Uae and H.e. dr.Guido Westerwelle, German ForeignMinister

Young diplomats in front of the NUMOVoffice

Minister of economy affairs and employment of theState of Saxony-anhalt. H.e Saleh H. al turki fromthe Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Saudiarabia, responded to the greeting address by refer-encing Germany’s long standing business ties withthe Kingdom of Saudi arabia and emphasized hiscountries need for renewable energy sources. thiswas followed by a series of speeches highlightingthe potential of solar power as a renewable energysource and possible applications of solar technolo-gy.

On 30th august 2010 a conference on credit andinvestment guarantees with euler HermesKreditversicherungs-aG, PricewaterhouseCoopersand NUMOV was held in Hamburg. Over 100 com-pany representatives attended. a series of speakersdiscussed the economic dynamics of the Near andMiddle east, touching on Germany’s relationshipwith the region and possibilities for multinationalfinancial engagement. the conference was closedwith a discussion round moderated by dr. HansJanus, member of the Board of euler HermesKreditsversicherungs-aG, during which the atten-dants had the chance to discuss the outlined topicsin detail.

the German Orient-Foundation hosted a confer-ence on the contemporary situation of Pakistan,afghanistan, iran and iraq in Berlin on 2nd September2010. it was moderated by dr. Gunter Mulack,ambassador (ret.) and director of the GermanOrient-institute. the Panel of Speakers includedMarkus Potzel, Head of the division for the Near andMiddle east at the German Federal Foreign office,Paul von Maltzahn, ambassador (ret.) and executiveVice President of the German Council on Foreignrelations (dGaP), Bernd Mützelburg, ambassadorret. and Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV,as well as dr. Herbert Honsowitz, ambassador (ret.)and also a Member of the advisory Board ofNUMOV. discussions touched upon the future of



f.l.t.r.: annika Strate, Coordination Officerenewable energy export initiative, GermanFederal Ministry of economics andtechnology; H.e. Saleh H. al turki, Ministryof Finance of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia;H.e. dr. reiner Haselhoff, Federal Minister ofeconomic affairs and employment ofSaxony-anhalt; dr. Jürgen Sander,Managing director VeM motors GmbH andMember of the Board of NUMOV

f.l.t.r.: dieter ernst, Chairman of the Board ofBerlinwasser international aG and Memberof the Board of NUMOV; dr. Hans Janus,Member of the Board of euler HermesKreditversicherungs-aG; dr. MatthiasKoehler, Head of division for exportFinancing and export Credit Guarantees atthe German Federal Ministry of economicsand technology; Christoph Schlichter,Managing director of rWe dea Germany;Jörg Wellmeyer, Member of the ManagementBoard of Strabag international GmbH andBeate Bischoff, Head of Structured exportFinance at BHF-Bank aG.

countries with endemic conflicts such as iraq andafghanistan, the roles of neighbouring countries inthe process of political stabilization and the potentialbenefit of economic help and cooperation from for-eign states.

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, a German business del-egation to the islamic republic of Pakistan wasorganized by NUMOV from 13th to 17th September2010. a group of 20 company representatives metwith representatives of key Pakistani organisations,ministries and companies in the cities of Karachi andislamabad. during its visit the delegation took part innumerous discussions with members of Pakistan’seconomic infrastructure to discuss the financial cli-mate as well as the future of German-Pakistani busi-ness relations.

On 24th September 2010 NUMOV organised theconference on legal conditions for business activity



f.l.t.r.: Markus Potzel, Head of division for the Near and Middle eas; at theFederal Foreign Office; H.e. Bernd Mützelburg, ambassador (ret.) and Memberof the advisory Board of NUMOV; dr. Gunter Mulack, ambassador (ret.) anddirector of the German Orient-institute; Herbert Honsowitz, ambassador( ret.)and Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV and Paul von Maltzahn,ambassador (ret.) and executive Vice President of the German Council onForeign relations (dGaP)

Bilateral business talks between German and Pakistani companies

in the Near and Middle east. the conference tookplace at the BHF-Bank in Frankfurt/M. and wasattended by over 80 German business representa-tives in addition to the panel speakers. High levellegal consultants provided participants with informa-tion on the business climate of the region in a seriesof talks. representatives of German firms were alsoable to make contacts with legal consultants andspecialists in islamic law.

H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al thani, emir of theState of Qatar, together with his wife H.H. SheikhaMozah bint Nasser al Missned completed a statevisit to Germany from 27th to 30th September 2010.they were accompanied by an official delegation ofhigh-ranking representatives from Qatari politics,economy and science. during his visit, H.H. Sheikh

Hamad bin Khalifa al thani met with H.e. ChristianWulff, President of the Federal republic ofGermany, H.e. dr. angela Merkel, Chancellor of theFederal republic, H.e. Gerhard Schröder, formerChancellor of the Federal republic of Germany and



f.l.t.r.: H.e. Gerhard Schröder, FormerChancellor of Germany and HonoraryChairman of NUMOV; H.e. ChristianWulff, President of the Federal republicof Germany; H.H. Sheikh Hamad binKhalifa al thani, emir of the State ofQatar; H.e. dr. angela Merkel, Chancellorof the Federal republic of Germany

f.l.t.r.: dr. rüdiger Grube, Chairman of the Management Board and CeO of thedeutsche Bahn aG; H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al thani, emir of the Stateof Qatar; H.H. Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Missned; H.e. dr. Peter ramsauer,German Minister of transport, Construction and infrastructure

Participants at the conference on legal conditions for business activity inthe Near and Middle east in Frankfurt/M.

H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al thani,emir of the State of Qatar

Honorary Chairman of NUMOV, H.e. rainerBrüderle, Federal Minister of economics andtechnology of the Federal republic of Germany, andmany more high-ranking politicians and businesspeople. throughout the entire visit, the friendly andcooperative ties in all areas, as well as the depth ofthe dynamic and bilateral relations between the twocountries were demonstrated.

in October 2010, under the umbrella of NUMOV, the“iraQi GerMaN BUSiNeSS dialOGUe“ wasestablished in order to strengthen the bilateral tiesbetween the republic of iraq and the Federalrepublic of Germany. With this goal in mind, the“iraQi GerMaN BUSiNeSS dialOGUe“ regularlyorganizes conferences, and delegation visits to andfrom Germany and iraq to establish and deepenbusiness contacts between the companies of thetwo countries. additionally, the “iraQi GerMaNBUSiNeSS dialOGUe“ publishes a magazine thatcovers all relevant economic developments in therepublic of iraq every four months.

after Chancellor dr. angela Merkel’s visit to theBosporus this summer, it was turkish Prime MinisterH.e. recep tayyıp erdoğan, while paying a visit toBerlin from 8th to 9th October 2010, who resumed thedialogue of partnership between the two countries.apart from the match between both countries’national football teams in Berlin, H.e. dr. Merkel andH.e. erdoğan agreed to foster co-operation in fields



Ferit F. Şahenk, Chairman of the turkish-German Business Council of deİK andH.e. Gerhard Schröder, former GermanChancellor and Honorary Chairman ofNUMOV

Visit of the historical Kaiserbahnhof Potsdam

First issue of the iraqi GermanBusiness dialogue

of crucial importance, especially the integration ofturkish immigrants in Germany, as well as tostrengthen the political dialogue and to deepen theeconomic and social ties between the two countries.therefore, an important step was made, when deİK,the turkish Foreign economic relations Board,organized the 1st turkish-German Cooperation andinvestment Conference in cooperation with NUMOV,the German Near and Middle east association, andhosted by deutsche Bank on 6th October 2010 inBerlin. On three panels, high ranking representa-tives from politics, economics and various businesssectors met to exchange their views on the currentstate of turkey-eU-relations, the economic andfinancial situation in turkey and the business andtrade relations between the two countries.

On 12th October 2010 NUMOV organized the“energy Conference Saudi arabia” within the frame-work of the energy export initiative on behalf of theGerman Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology. the conference was held at thedeutsche Bank aG in Berlin. Speakers at the con-ference emphasized Saudi arabia’s potential as atrade partner, especially with regards to the energysector as well as the country’s economic situation.

NUMOV, in cooperation with the German FederalMinistry of economics and technology, was invitedby Qatar Petroleum (QP) to arrange for a GermanBusiness delegation to take part in the Qatarindustrial investment Conference & exhibition 2010.the conference was held from 18th to 20th of October2010 in doha, Qatar, under the patronage of H.e.abdullah Bin Hamad al-attiyah, deputy PrimeMinister, Minister of energy and industry andChairman of QP. 25 German business representa-tives from branches ranging from the energy sectorto the industrial and service sectors, travelled to theGulf state headed by Marc Hall, Member of theBoard of NUMOV and CeO of Bayerngas GmbH.Prior to the opening reception the delegation’s pro-



f.l.t.r.: Helene rang, CeO and deputyChairperson of NUMOV; abdulaziz al Malki,Head of Minister’s offfice and H.e. abdullahBin Hamad al-attiyah, deputy Prime Minister,Minister of energy and industry andChairman of Qatar Petroleum

f.l.t.r.: Yousef albloushi, eng. Vice President,Cooperative affairs Unit, Global SuhaimiGroup, Kingdom of Saudi arabia; dr. reinaldSteck, ambassador (ret.), Member of theadvisory Board of NUMOV and Susannelein, Head of Coordination Office, energyefficiency export initiative, German FederalMinistry of economics and technology

gramme opened with a welcome and briefingaddress at which speeches were given by H.e. anneruth Herkes, ambassador of the Federal republicof Germany to the State of Qatar, Marc Hall, Head ofthe delegation, CeO of Bayerngas and Member ofthe NUMOV Board, Philipp M. luehrs, regional VicePresident Middle east of deugro (deutschland)GmbH, and dr. Klaus Hachmeier, German FederalMinistry’s division North africa and Middle east.during the following four days the delegation touredthe country and was received by numerous highranking representatives of both the private and pub-lic sectors to be briefed on concurrent projects andinvestment opportunities within the country.

the 22nd annual Saudi Build exhibition took place inthe capital riyadh from 18th to 21st October 2010. itis one of the most important shows in the construc-tion and machinery sector of the Near and Middleeast. NUMOV provided all interested Saudi visitorswith information regarding companies representedat the joint German pavilion. With over 60 compa-nies joining the exhibition the German contingent atthe exhibition more than doubled in size comparedto the year before, making it the third largest in termsof booths after the turkish and Chinese. aside fromintensive business talks and fruitful discussions anumber of German companies signed important,high-volume contracts with Saudi partners toenhance and strengthen their presence in the Saudimarkets.

From 28th November to 2nd december, NUMOV theGerman Near and Middle east association, withinthe framework of the renewable energies exportinitiative on behalf of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, welcomed a delegationfocussing on solar energy from the republic ofCyprus in Cologne. at the conference “Solarindustry in the republic of Cyprus”, German busi-ness representatives, technical professionals andresearch experts discussed the framework of solar



H.e. dr. Mohammed Saleh abdullah al-Sada,Minister of State for energy and industry ofthe State of Qatar, and Marc Hall, Member ofthe Board of NUMOV and CeO of BayerngasGmbH

German Pavilion

f.l.t.r.: dr. Manfred a. lange, energy,environment and Water research Center,the Cyprus institute, dr. George Gheorghiou,Head of PV technology, University of Cyprusand Katja Meyer, Germany trade and invest

activities in Cyprus. the delegation had the chanceto introduce themselves to the German businessrepresentatives and hold informative bilateral busi-ness talks. during the next few days the delegationvisited important institutions active in the field ofsolar energy, including the Jülich research Centre.

H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle, Minister of Foreignaffairs of the Federal republic of Germany, signedan investment Protection agreement betweenGermany and the republic of iraq on a visit toBaghdad on 4th december 2010. the agreementwas also signed by H.e. Fawsi al-Hariri, former iraqiMinister of industry and Minerals. Both ministersexpressed their wish for an enhanced cooperationbetween the two countries. the new accord will helpto improve economic and legal conditions forGerman companies working in iraq, H.e. dr. GuidoWesterwelle said in a statement. the ForeignMinister offered iraq the “closest of partnerships withGermany”. H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle is the firsteuropean Foreign Minister to visit iraq since the par-liamentary elections from 7th March 2010. He wasaccompanied by members of the German FederalParliament and business representatives. during hisvisit to the iraqi capital, the Foreign Minister also metH.e. Jalal talabani, President of iraq, H.e. Nuri al-Maliki, newly reinstated Prime Minister and H.e.Hoshyar Zebari, former iraqi Prime Minister and cur-rent Foreign Minister, as well as Parliament SpeakerH.e. Usama al-Nujaifi.

On 7th december 2010, the 88th NUMOV-länderforum took place at the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology in Berlin. the event wasattended by many German business representativeswho are interested or already engaged in the Nearand Middle east region. dr. Karl-ernst Brauner,director for external economic Policy at the GermanFederal Ministry of economics and technology,opened the 88th NUMOV länderforum and congrat-ulated NUMOV on its solid cooperation and strong



f.l.t.r.: Helene rang, CeO and deputyChairperson of NUMOV, dr. Karl-ernst Brauner,director for external economic Policy at theGerman Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology

H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle, Minister ofForeign affairs of the Federal republic ofGermany and H.e. Jalal talabani, Presidentof the republic of iraq

economic presence in the region. during theländerforum several economic developments wereaddressed while a special focus was placed onQatar and Saudi arabia by Martin Bay, Chairman ofthe Board of NUMOV and Chairman of the Board ofManaging directors of deutsche Bahn international(German railway Group), and Volkmar Wenzel,ambassador of the Federal republic of Germany toriyadh.

On 10th december, 2010, the iraQi GerMaNBUSiNeSS dialOGUe, under the umbrella ofNUMOV, the German Near and Middle eastassociation, organised the conference “Successfullyinitiating Businesses in iraq”, which took place atlinde Group in Munich. the event provided essen-tial information concerning successfully establishinga business in iraq. at the event, participants couldgain an insight into doing business in iraq from expe-rienced German business representatives andexperts on the region. a question and answer ses-sion followed a serried of informative presentations,which led to a fruitful discussion amongst partici-pants. the conference proved an excellent platformfor promoting and developing German-iraqi rela-tions, in particularly in the economic sector.

On 14th december 2010, the 2nd German-KuwaitiJoint Commission on trade and technical coopera-tion took place, under the leadership of H.e. dr.Bernd Pfaffenbach, German State Secretary at theFederal Ministry of economics and technology andH.e. ahmed al-Haroun, Kuwaiti Minister of tradeand industry. the meeting marked a key moment inGerman-Kuwaiti bilateral relations and highlightedthe importance of Kuwait as an economic tradingpartner.

the German Orient-institute organized a conferenceon the political situation in Yemen scheduled for 15th

december 2010. it took place at the Jakob-Kaiser-



dr. aldo Belloni, Member of the Board oflinde aG

Michael Glos, Former German Federal Ministerof economics and technology and Member ofthe Board of NUMOV

H.e. dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach, German StateSecretary of the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology and H.e. ahmedal-Haroun, Kuwaiti Minister of trade andindustry

Haus of the German Parliament. On invitation ofBurkhardt Müller-Sönksen, a group of experts onpolitics and science discussed the role of Yemen inthe international community. Speakers touched onthe challenges and social actors that play an influ-ential role in the development of the country’s future.

On 16th december 2010, the German FederalMinister of economics and technology, H.e. rainerBrüderle met with H.e. Yousef Hussain Kamal,Minister of economy and Finance of the State ofQatar. the meeting aimed at improving the econom-ic cooperation between Germany and Qatar. H.e.rainer Brüderle outlined that Qatar is a target coun-try for the German economy with significant potentialdue to its strong growth and its great economic pro-jects, not only in order to set up the necessary infra-structure to host the FiFa Football World Cup 2022.

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany and HonoraryChairman of NUMOV, the German Near and Middleeast association, visited the Kingdom of Saudiarabia from 16th to 20th January 2011. H.e. VolkmarWenzel, then ambassador of the Federal republicof Germany to the Kingdom of Saudi arabia, wel-comed the former Chancellor in riyadh and provid-ed a brief overview of the current situation and out-lined the potential for bilateral economic relations.



H.e. Yousef Hussain Kamal, Minister ofeconomy and Finance of theState of Qatar and H.e. rainer Brüderle,German Federal Minister ofeconomics and technology

2011

f.l.t.r.: Günter Gloser, Member of the German Parliament, Former Minister ofState of the Federal Foreign Office and President of the Board of trustees of theGerman Orient-Foundation, dr. Gunter Mulack, ambassador (ret.) of the Federalrepublic of Germany and director of the German Orient-institute, JürgenChrobog, Chairman of the Board of directors of the BMW Foundation HerbertQuandt, Member of the Board of NUMOV, Member of the Board of trustees ofthe German Orient-Foundation, State Secretary (ret.) in the Foreign Office of theFederal republic of German, Martin Weiss, Foreign Policy advisor in the GermanParliament

during his visit, H.e. Gerhard Schröder met withseveral high-ranking political and business repre-sentatives to discuss further steps, namely H.r.H.Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin abdulaziz al Saud,assistant Minister of defence and aviation inspectorGeneral Military affairs, H.r.H. Prince Salman binabdulaziz al Saud, Governor of riyadh, H.r.H.Prince turki bin Faisal bin abdulaziz al Saud,Chairman of the King Faisal Foundation, H.e. eng.ali Bin ibrahim al-Naimi, Minister of Petroleum andNatural resources of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia,H.e. abdullah ahmed Zainal, Minister of Commerceand industry, H.e. dr. Jubarah bin eid al-Suraiseri,Minister of transport of the Kingdom of Saudiarabia, and abdulrahman a. al-Jeraisy, Chairman ofthe Board of the riyadh Chamber of Commerce andindustry.

H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, Minister of Health of theFederal republic of Germany, made an official visitto Oman from 25th to 27th January 2011. He wasaccompanied by three members of the GermanParliament and about 30 representatives of theGerman healthcare sector companies. H.e. dr.Philipp rösler was received by H.H. Sayyid FahdBin Mahmoud al Said, deputy Prime Minister for theCouncil of Ministers of the Sultanate of Oman. theparties discussed enhancing of cooperation in thefield of healthcare, therapeutic services and trainingspecialists and investments in healthcare. duringthe meeting with H.e. dr. ahmed Bin Mohammed al



Center: H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, Minister ofHealth of the Federal republic of Germanyand H.e. dr. ahmed Bin Mohammed alSa’eedi, Health Minister of the Sultanate ofOman

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former Chancellorof the Federal republic of Germany andHonorary Chairman of NUMOV and H.r.H.Prince turki bin Faisal bin abdulaziz al Saud,Chairman of the King Faisal Foundation

Meeting at the riyadh Chamber of Commerce and industry

Sa’eedi, Minister of Health of the Sultanate of Oman,a Memorandum of Understanding between the twoministries on the fields of medical science andresearch, emergency medicine, rehabilitation, healthinsurance, healthcare and investment projects, wassigned.

the Federal republic of Germany and the Unitedarab emirates intend to further their political cooper-ation concerning the healthcare industry.accordingly, a mutual agreement has been signed indubai between H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, GermanFederal Minister of Health and H.e. dr. HanifHassan, Minister of Health of the United arabemirates in January 2011.

in order to help increase awareness of the iraqihealth sector’s need for investment and foster inter-national cooperation in advancing the country’shealth system among German businesses, theiraQi GerMaN BUSiNeSS dialOGUe, under theumbrella of NUMOV, organized the First iraqiGerman Health dialog on the occasion of the visit ofa delegation of representatives from the iraqiMinistry of Health, headed by dr. Salah JawadShubber, advisor to the iraqi Minister of Health. theconference was held at the Vivantes Humboldt-Klinikum in Berlin on 31st January 2011. German andiraqi entrepreneurs and high-level officials from bothcountries’ ministries were in attendance. Speakerstouched upon numerous subjects pertaining to theiraqi health sector and opportunities for investmentsby German firms.



reception of representatives from the iraqi Ministry of Health at the iraqiembassy in Berlin

H.e. daniel Bahr, State Secretary at theMinistry of Health of the Federal republicof Germany

German Federal Minister for economic Cooperationand development, H.e. dirk Niebel, visited therepublic of iraq from 1st to 3rd February 2011, aimingto send the newly formed iraqi government a politi-cal signal that Germany is prepared to support iraqin the process of rebuilding and economic develop-ment. Federal Minister Niebel called for more mod-ern technology, education and advice for iraq and inparticular bilateral cooperation in key sectors. inaddition, he commented that the desire for Germanknow-how is prominent in iraq. during the trip, amemorandum of understanding (MOU) was alsosigned between H.e. dirk Niebel and H.e. Husseinal-Sharisanti, deputy Prime Minister of the Federalrepublic of iraq. the memorandum concerns thedeepening of technical and economic cooperationbetween Germany and iraq.

On 8th February 2011, H.e. dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach,State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, and H.e. ahmed redaChami, Moroccan Minister of industry, trade andNew technologies, met in rabat, Morocco. duringthe course of this meeting, H.e. dr. Pfaffenbach andH.e. ahmed reda Chami signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding to set up a joint committee tostrengthen the bilateral economic relations betweenthe two countries.

On 9th February 2011, the new embassy of theKingdom of Saudi arabia in Berlin was inauguratedby H.r.H. Prince Saud al-Faisal, Minister of Foreignaffairs of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia and by H.e.dr. Guido Westerwelle, Minister of Foreign affairs ofthe Federal republic of Germany in the presence ofH.e. Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany and HonoraryChairman of NUMOV. addressing the opening cere-mony, H.e. Prof. dr. med. Ossama bin abdul MajedShobokshi, ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudiarabia to Germany, highlighted the relationsbetween the two countries. H.e. dr. Guido



H.e dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach, State Secretaryat the German Federal Ministry of economicsand technology and H.e. ahmed redaChami, Moroccan Minister of industry, tradeand New technologies, sign a Memorandumof Understanding

f.l.t.r. H.e. Prof. dr. med. Ossama bin abdulMajed Shobokshi, ambassador of theKingdom of Saudi arabia to Germany, H.e.Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany and HonoraryChairman of NUMOV, H.r.H. Prince Saud alFaisal, Minister of Foreign affairs of theKingdom of Saudi arabia and H.e. dr. GuidoWesterwelle, Minister of Foreign affairs of theFederal republic of Germany

H.e. dirk Niebel, German Federal Minister foreconomic Cooperation and development andH.e. Nuri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of theFederal republic of iraq

Westerwelle welcomed H.r.H. Prince Saud al-Faisal and remarked on the significance the newembassy in Berlin will have in strengthening bilater-al ties. With great interest, both in Germany andSaudi arabia, in further intensifying the cultural,political and economic relations, the inauguration ofthe new embassy is a further step towards this tar-get.

the German Orient-institute organised a conferencetaking place on 10th February 2011, at the Jakob-



f.l.t.r.: dr. isabel Schäfer, department of Social Sciences, Humboldt UniversityBerlin, Sebastian Sons, Head of research Unit of the German Orient-institute,Günter Gloser, Member of the German Parliament, Chair of ParliamentaryFriendship Group for relations with the Maghreb States and President of theBoard of trustees of the German Orient-Foundation, Barbara Wolf, Head of thedivision in Charge of the Union for the Mediterranean, German Federal ForeignOffice, dr. Michael lange, team leader Foreign affairs, Security and europeanPolicy at Konrad-adenauer-Stiftung

the new embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia in Berlin

Kaiser-Haus of the German Parliament, whichfocussed on bringing together a group of leadingexperts to discuss the future and current transfor-mation of the Middle east and North africa region(MeNa). tunisia and egypt were in particular focus,and topics such as the “Jasmine revolution” weresubject to informative debate.

Under the umbrella of NUMOV, the iraQi-GerMaNBUSiNeSS dialOGUe led a German business del-egation to iraq from 21st to 22nd February 2011 aimedat exploring possibilities for potential future invest-ment. the delegation took part in a one-day eco-nomic conference titled “iraqi German Businessdialog,” held on 22nd February 2011 in Basra. around80 business and government representativesattended the meeting to hear speakers give talks onthe business relationships between iraqi andGerman companies operating in the region.

the 2011 communication and information technolo-gies fair, CeBit, in Hanover, was inaugurated with afestive evening ceremony on 28th February 2011 byH.e. recep tayyip erdoğan, turkish Prime Minister,together with H.e. dr. angela Merkel, GermanChancellor. turkey was the official partner countryfor the 2011 edition of the fair and numerous turkishexhibitors and iCt industry experts were present. aturkish-German iCt summit was held aiming atsupporting joint activities involving turkish andGerman companies and helping them to intensifybusiness relationships. On the occasion, H.e. receptayyip erdoğan met H.e. Gerhard Schröder, formerGerman Chancellor and Honorary Chairman ofNUMOV, with whom he still maintains a close friend-ship.

as part of the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology’s 10 point action plan forMaghreb, the German-algerian joint economic com-mission was established on 8th March 2011 by H.e.dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach, State Secretary for the



Participants of the economic conferenceiraQi GerMaN BUSiNeSS dialOGUe

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former Chancellor ofthe Federal republic of Germany andHonorary Chairman of NUMOV and receptayyip erdoğan, Prime Minister of therepublic of turkey

German Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology and H.e Mohamed Benmeradi, thealgerian Minister of industry, Small and Mediumenterprises (SMes) and investment Promotion.

after the signing of the agreement on 8th March 2011the first official meeting was opened by H.e. dr.Pfaffenbach, who commented on his pleasure atfinding the potential for cooperation betweenalgerian President H.e. abelaziz Bouteflika andGerman Federal Chancellor H.e. dr. angela Merkel.this was followed by two days of meetings from 8th

to 9th March, during which time several topics regard-ing bilateral relations between the two countrieswere discussed. Over 60 business and industry rep-resentatives were in attendance for talks thattouched upon subjects such as renewable energy,education and training, investments and the healthsector.

On 25th March 2011, NUMOV, the German Near andMiddle east association, on behalf of the GermanFederal Ministry of economics and technology,organised an economic seminar with a focus on theState of israel.

On 6th april 2011 the German Orient-institute orga-nized a conference called “the islam-discourse ineuropean Media - Between islamophobia andintercultural dialogue” in cooperation with the Fritzthyssen Foundation. it was supported by thePrussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and tookplace at the Museum of islamic art in Berlin. duringseveral sessions various speakers discussed therelationship between europe and islam, touching oncontemporary issues such as media portrayals ofMuslims and discrimination within european com-munities.

On the 12th april 2011, NUMOV, the German Nearand Middle east association, on behalf of theGerman Federal Ministry of Health, organised the



H.e. Mohamed Benmeradi, Minister ofindustry, Small and Medium enterprises(SMes) and investment Promotion of thePeople's democratic republic of algeria andH.e. dr. Bernd Pfaffenbach, State Secretaryat the German Federal Ministry of economicsand technology

first Saudi-German Health Conference, which tookplace at the international fair Saudi Medicare inriyadh. Challenges and current key issues for theSaudi healthcare sector were presented to partici-pants by expert guest speakers. also discussedwere the tremendous opportunities for German busi-nesses and investors in the health sector in Saudiarabia, and the new health sector export initiative ofthe German Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology was also introduced to partipants.

On 14th april 2011, the conference “Photovoltaic andSolar thermal energy in Jordan, lebanon andSyria,” took place in the framework of therenewable energies export initiative on behalf ofthe Federal Ministry of economics and technology.



f.l.t.r.: Steve Clements, Partner, Mercer ltd, Ortwin Schulte, Head of the Unit"General european and international Health Policy Planning" at the GermanFederal Ministry of Health, dr. Khalid Saad Bin Saeed, Professor at the Hospitaland Health administration, College of Business administration, King SaudUniversity, Stephen M. Jennings, Managing Partner and CeO, Monitor Group,dr. Philippe Couillard, P.C., Md, international advisory Board Member, Ministryof Health of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia on the Health insurance Conference atthe Saudi Medicare 2011

f.l.t.r.: Nidal abdalla, Solar thermal energy Consulter from the National Centerfor research and development of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Nader HajjShehadeh, energy engineer from the lebanese Center for energy Conversationof the Ministry of energy and Water of the republic of lebanon; dr. GunterMulack, ambassador (ret.), Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV anddirector of the German Orient-institute; Prof. dr. Nasir el Bassam, director of theinternational research Center for renewable energy

Several experts gave speeches on developmentopportunities for photovoltaic and solar thermalenergy in the region.

On 15th april 2011, NUMOV organized the “Qatar2022 – Chances for the German economy” confer-ence which took place at PricewaterhouseCoopersaG in Berlin. the conference was attended by manybusiness representatives and focused on economicopportunities and challenges regarding the hostingof the FiFa Football World Cup in 2022. H.e.abdulrahman Mohammed S. al-Khulaifi,ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Federalrepublic of Germany, underlined that large projectswere on the way, being in the stage of planning oralready being realised such as the expanding of theinfrastructure for instance the New dohainternational airport, the doha Port Project or theQatar rail Network Project. Furthermore, he statedthat Qatar offers other, different sectors of interest,namely finance, education, it and solar energy.

From the 1st to 5th May, NUMOV, the German Nearand Middle east association, on behalf of theGerman Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology, arranged and conducted a businessdelegation to israel. the delegation mainly consist-ed of German business representatives involved inthe waste management and recycling sector.



f.l.t.r. Herbert Snell, Managing director of PrS GmbH / Plastic recyclingSolutions and Head of delegation, Moshe Sinai, Mayor of rosh Ha’ayin andHead of the international Committee of the Union of local authorities of israel,dan Catarivas, director of the division of Foreign trade and internationalrelations of the Manufacturers association of israel (Mai), Volker timmermann,Head of the economic department of the German embassy in israel

H.e. abdulrahman Mohammed S. al-Khulaifi,ambassador of the State of Qatar to theFederal republic of Germany

On 2nd May 2011 the “iraQi GerMaN BUSiNeSSdialOGUe”, under the umbrella of NUMOV, orga-nized the conference “Water and Wastewater in theNear and Middle east” which took place at theinternational trade fair “Wasser Berlin international”

in Berlin. it was a particular pleasure to welcome anofficial delegation of the iraqi Ministry of industry andMinerals at the conference with H.e. Basil M.Hameed al-Qaysi, General director of the StateCompany of industrial design and Construction;H.e. adnan abdullah Bardan, deputy Governor, alanbar, republic of iraq, and H.e. dr. Hafedhabdulazeez Jumaah, deputy Governor diyala,republic of iraq. during the fair “Wasser Berlininternational” NUMOV and the iraQi GerMaNBUSiNeSS dialOGUe were represented with ajoint stand.

the 24th May also marked the NUMOV, the GermanNear and Middle association annual Conference,which was opened by H.e. abdullah bin Hamad al-attiyah, deputy Prime Minister of the State of Qatar,together with H.e. ernst Burgbacher, ParliamentaryState Secretarty at the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, and took place at theMinistry of economics and technology in Berlin. inthe evening the NUMOV German Near and Middleeast Gala event 2011 took place, hosted by PorscheaG and saw around 400 guests from the poltical andeconomic sphere come together in celebration ofNear and Middle east-German cooperation. H.e.



f. l. t. r.: dipl.-ing. Martin Kluge, Project Manager Sales and engineering, KSBaG; dr.-ing. Marc Peters, director of research and development, HerrenknechtaG; Basil al-Qaysi, General director of the State Company of industrial designand Construction, Ministry of industry and Minerals of the republic of iraq; dieterernst, President europe / MeNa of rWl Water Group and Member of the Boardof NUMOV; lina Kareem amlah, Chief Chemist in the research Centre forenergy and environment, Ministry of industry and Minerals of the republic ofiraq; Norbert Gasten, Vice President Power, renewables and Water, KfW iPeX-Bank GmbH; Martin Kalhöfer, director africa/Middle east, Germany trade andinvest

Joint stand of NUMOV and iraQi GerMaNBUSiNeSS dialOGUe at the fair WaSSerBerliN iNterNatiONal

H.e. abdullah bin Hamad al-attiyah, deputyPrime Minister of the State of Qatar and Chiefof the emiri diwan and H.e. GerhardSchröder, former German Chancellor andHonorary Chairman of NUMOV

abdullah bin Hamad al-attiyah was the guest of hon-our and the event was also attended by H.e.Gerhard Schröder, Honorary Chairman of NUMOVand former Chancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany. the event was hosted by Matthias Müller,Chairman of the Board of Porsche aG who gave awelcome address to all participants on behalf of hiscompany. H.e. abdullah bin Hamad al-attiyah alsospoke in his capacity as guest of honour and praisedthe excellent bilateral ties between Germany andQatar. H.e. Gerhard Schröder also emphasised theexcellent developments in German-Qatari relationsand went on to outline current challenges facing theMeNa region and the eU’s role in strengthening ties.

also taking place on the 24th May 2011 was theNUMOV annual Meeting at the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology. during the meeting,Martin Bay, Chairman of the Board of NUMOV out-lined the various activities of the last year and gavean outline for planned activities. additionally, the fol-



H.e. abdullah al-attiyah, deputy Prime Minister and Chief of amiri diwan of the State of Qatar

H.e. ernst Burgbacher, State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of economicsand technology; H.e. abdullah al-attiyah, deputy Prime Minister and Chief ofamiri diwan of the State of Qatar; Martin Bay, Chairman of NUMOV; erichStaake, Member of the Board of NUMOV, Chairman of the Board of duisport;Bernd romanski, dep. Chairman of NUMOV, Member of the Board ofHOCHtieF Solutions aG

H.e. ernst Burgbacher, StateSecretary, German FederalMinistry of economics andtechnology

lowing persons were confirmed by election asMembers of the Board of NUMOV: Michael ludwig,Member of the Board of Verbundnetz Gas, GüntherMull, Proprietor of derMalOG identificationSystems GmbH, erich Staake, Chairman of theBoard of duisport, Marc Hall, Managing director ofBayerngas GmbH, Michael Glos, former Minister ofeconomics and technology and Hans-Peter Floren,Member of the Board of e-ON ruhrgas.ambassador dr. rainald Steck, former Head of theProtocol at the German Federal Foreign Office inBerlin, became a new Member of the advisory Boardof NUMOV.

From 28th to 29th May 2011, H.e. dr. GuidoWesterwelle, Federal Minister of Foreign affairs ofGermany, visited Oman as part of an extended tourof the asia-Pacific region, on invitation of H.M.Sultan Qaboos bin Sa’id al Sa’id, Sultan of Oman.



H.M. Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, Sultanof the Sultanate of Oman and H.e. dr. GuidoWesterwelle, Foreign Minister of the Federalrepublic of Germany

Participants of the NUMOV German Near and Middle east Gala event 2011

during his stay, H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle wasscheduled to hold talks with senior Omani officials todiscuss bilateral relations between the two countriesand the latest developments in the regional andinternational arenas. due to the 40th anniversary ofthe establishment of diplomatic ties between the twocountries, H.M. Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said andH.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle agreed to boost cooper-ation in economic, investment, tourism and technicalfields including renewable energies, as well asefforts to enhance the volume of trade and invest-ment exchange by enacting agreements signed inboth countries’ private sectors.

On 31st May 2011, NUMOV, the German Near andMiddle east association, and the German Orient-institute held a reception in Berlin for young diplo-mats visiting from iraq. the group was led by H.e.dr. Peter Schmidt, ambassador (ret.) andProgramme director for iraq and Bosnia &Herzegovina, international training for diplomats.the young diplomats participated in the 5th executiveSeminar for diplomats during their stay in Germany,organised by the German Foreign Service academy,which ran from 24th May to 23rd June 2011. the sem-inar aimed to effectively prepare the young diplo-mats for future participation within the internationalpolitical community.

H.e. Nizar Baraka, Minister of economy of theKingdom of Morocco visited Germany in May 2011and outlined the economic opportunities and chal-lenges his country is facing today. He emphasizedthat his country is undergoing a tremendous processof development in several economic sectors. thekingdom has formulated new visions and new incen-tive programs to strengthen the domestic economicsector. regarding liberalizing the domestic market,Morocco has started to invest in several infrastruc-ture projects to further promote economic growth.especially important business sectors such asindustry, energy, tourism, agriculture, it, logistics,



H.e. Nizar Baraka, Moroccan Minister ofeconomy

Young iraqi diplomats in front of theNUMOV office

water and wastewater were fields of additional gov-ernmental investment.

H.e. Hoshyar Zebari, Foreign Minister of therepublic of iraq, paid a state visit to Germany in May2011, where he met his German counterpart, H.e.dr. Guido Westerwelle, Federal Foreign Minister,and H.e. dr. rainer Brüderle, then Federal Ministerof economics and technology, and conducted pro-ductive mutual dicussions. H.e. Hoshyar Zebari andH.e. dr. rainer Brüderle emphasised the strong andlong-lasting relationship between both countries andthe strong engagement in economics and politics,which both countries have intensified over the lastyears. in this regard, H.e. Zebari outlined the posi-tive image the German economy still maintains iniraq and described the huge potential his countrycan offer, especially for German investors.

NUMOV, the German Near and Middle eastassociation, in cooperation with Messe Hamburgorganised the first edition of the German-Near andMiddle east Ports Conference on the 15th June 2011,at the international fair MS&d, in the Hanseatic cityof Hamburg. the conference aimed to bring togeth-er experts and leading figures from the port projectsector, to enable ideas to be exchanged and keytopics to be discussed. Jürgen albersmann, Head ofCorporate development and Communication ofduisburger Hafen aG, opened and was followed byexperts including, Jens Meier, CeO of HamburgPorts authority, erich Staake, President and CeO ofduisburger Hafen aG and Member of the Board ofNUMOV, and with a strong international cross-sec-tion including Captain Mahmoud bin Hussein alHarbi, General Manager of dhiba Port, Saudi Portsauthority, Captain ahmad Yousuf al Mass, actingChairman of Qatar Ports Management Company,who both provided informative presentations on portprojects in their respective countries.



H.e. Hoshyar Zebari, Foreign Minister of therepublic of iraq and H.e. dr. GuidoWesterwelle, Minister of Foreign affairs of theFederal republic of Germany

f.l.t.r.: Captain ahmad Yousuf al Mass, actingChairman of Qatar Ports ManagementCompany; erich Staake, President and CeOof duisburger Hafen aG and Member of theBoard of NUMOV; Jürgen albersmann,Head of Corporate development andCommunication of duisburger Hafen aG;Captain Mahmoud bin Hussein al Harbi,General Manager of dhiba Port, Saudi Portsauthority

H.e. Hoshyar Zebari, Foreign Minister of therepublic of iraq and H.e. rainer Brüderle,Federal Minister of economics andtechnology

Marking the occasion of the elections in turkey, theGerman Orient-institute organised the conference“turkey after the elections – Current Politicaldevelopments”, in conjunction with the Forum forinternational dialogue, in order to discuss anddebate turkey’s future with leading experts. theevent took place on 27th June 2011 at the reichstagin Berlin. the conference covered relevant informa-tion about turkey’s political system and provided acomprehensive overview of current and expecteddevelopments after the elections.

On 30th June 2011, NUMOV, the German Near andMiddle east association, organised a conference,taking place at HypoVereinsbank in Munich, aimedat providing participants with a useful insight intotaxation and legal conditions when doing businessin the Near and Middle east. Participants receiveduseful information from many experts in this field,including high-level legal consultants and specialistsin islamic law. the event was hosted by dr. HaraldWatzek, director and Head of international BusinessSouth Bavaria at HypoVereinsbank. dr. rainaldSteck, former ambassador and Member of theadvisory Board of NUMOV also briefly welcomedthe participants. the event also included questionand answer sessions and offered participants toestablish direct contacts in the sector.



f.l.t.r.: Claus Warnken, Head of division for international export Control regimesat the German Federal Ministry of economics and technology; dr. rainald Steck,former ambassador, Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV; dr. Philipp vonrandow, legal representative of latham & Watkins in doha and Head of theMiddle east finance department; dr. thomas Wülfing, specialist solicitor for mercantile, company and tax law at Wülfing-Zeuner-rechel Gbr; Michael Heise,legal consultant at Grünecker Kinkeldey Stockmair & Schwanhäusser

f.l.t.r.: Serkan tören, Member of the GermanParliament, ercan Karakoyun, Forum forintercultural dialogue, Günter Gloser,Member of the German Parliament andPresident of the Board of trustees of theGerman Orient-institute, dr. GunterMulack, ambassador (ret.) and director of theGerman Orient-institute, dr. Şahin alpay,turkish columnist and author

Continuing the trend of ever-improving iraqi-Germanbilateral relations H.e. Hussain al-Shahristani,deputy Prime Minister for energy of the republic ofiraq, completed an official state visit to Berlin from 1st

to 4th July 2011. Central to H.e. al-Shahristani’s visitwas his attendance of the ‘Pugwash Conference’which strives towards nuclear disarmament in allcountries and to reduce the threat of war. the con-ference took place in the German capital from 1st to4th July 2011. during his official visit to Berlin, H.e.al-Shahristani also met with H.e. dr. Philipp rösler,German Federal Minister of economics andtechnology, and H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle,Foreign Minister of the Federal republic ofGermany. additionally, H.e. al-Shahristani took partin bilateral discussions with dr. Christoph Heusgen,Foreign Policy and Security advisor to GermanFederal Chancellor H.e. dr. angela Merkel. H.e. al-Shahristani was accompanied to all meetings byH.e. dr. Hussain M. F. alkhateeb, iraqi ambassadorto the Federal republic of Germany.

On Wednesday 6th July 2011, NUMOV once againorganised a reception for young diplomats from theNear and Middle east visiting Berlin. this time thegroup was headed by H.e. Folkmar Stoecker,ambassador (ret.). the young diplomats also hadthe opportunity to participate in the executiveSeminar for diplomats from the Middle east andNorth africa run by the German Foreign Service.the programme aimed to prepare participants fortheir future cooperation within the internationalcommunity.



f.l.t.r.: H.e. dr. Hussain M.F. alkhateeb,ambassador of the republic of iraq toGermany; H.e. Hussain al-Shahristani,deputy Prime Minister for energy of therepublic of iraq; H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle,German Federal Foreign Minister

Young diplomats from MeNa region in front of the NUMOV office

H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, German FederalMinister of economics and technology andH.e. Hussain al-Shahristani, deputy PrimeMinister for energy of the republic of iraq

On 28th July, the event Business Forum turkey,organised by NUMOV, the German Near and Middleeast association, in cooperation with SelF e.V.,Verein zur Unterstützung der Selbstständigen/ asso-ciation for supporting the self-employed, took placein Stuttgart. dr. Martin Herrenknecht, Chairman ofthe Board Herrenknecht aG and deputy Chairmanof the Board of NUMOV, opened proceedings, wel-comed participants and introduced potential marketopportunities, drawing on his 20 years of businessexperience in turkey. Faruk Ceran, Member of theexecutive Board of SelF e.V. briefly introducedÖnder Kurt, Secretary General of BUV(Bundesverband der Unternehmervereinigungen)who provided information about his organisation’srole in supporting businesses. the participants alsoheard from other experts and had the opportunity toquestion the guest speakers. the Business Forumwas a step towards further strengthening German-turkish relations

in light of developments taking place in libya,NUMOV, the German Near and Middle eastassociation organised a workshop which aimed toexplain and discuss issues from an economic pointof view for interested NUMOV members and for for-eign, in particular German, investors. the workshoptook place on 1st august 2011 and was moderated byBurkhardt Müller-Sönksen, Member of the GermanParliament. First-hand accounts were provided bydietrich Becker, Head of liason Office of theGerman Federal Government in Benghazi, andStephan Hallmann, ZdF correspondent in Benghazi,who also answered the participants’ questions. allparticipants encouraged the democratic develop-ment of libya and the reconstructing of the libyaneconomy.

On 12th august 2011, H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle,Foreign Minister of the Federal republic ofGermany, met with new egyptian Foreign Minister



dr. Martin Herrenknecht, Chairman of theBoard of Herrenknecht aG and deputyChairman of the Board of NUMOV

f.l.t.r.: Helene rang, CeO and dp.Chairperson of NUMOV; dietrich Becker,Head of the German liaison Office inBenghazi; Burkhardt Müller-Sönksen,Member of the German Parliament;Sebastian Sons, Head of research Unit ofthe German Orient-institute

H.e. Mohamed Kamel amr. Westerwelle highlightedthe strategic role egypt plays in the region and theclose relationship between both countries over thelast decades. While H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelleagreed on further steps in order to intensify bilateraleconomic ties, H.e. Mohamed Kamel amrannounced the latest developments within the trans-formation process in egypt. recognising the effort ofthe egyptian people for democratic institutions andfreedom, H.e. dr. Westerwelle mentioned thatGermany will of course support the egyptian trans-formation process.

Mirroring the impressive volume and ambition oflarge-scale projects currently taking place in Saudiarabia, NUMOV, the German Near and Middle eastassociation organised the conference “MegaProjects in Saudi arabia” on 15th September 2011 atthe embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia inBerlin. the conference brought together companies,giving them the chance to gain a useful insight intothe project market in Saudi arabia. H.e. Prof. dr.med. Ossama bin abdul Majed Shobokshi,ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia toGermany, welcomed the participants to the confer-ence and also highlighted new investment guide-lines which could be beneficial to foreign investors.

Martin Bay, Chairman of the Board of NUMOV,thanked H.e. Prof. dr. med. Ossama bin abdulMajed Shobokshi for the tremendous honour ofbeing a guest at the embassy and presented a sam-ple of large-scale projects in Saudi arabia. Followingthis the participants heard a series of informativepresentations from an array of experts in the field.

From 19th to 22nd September 2011 the internationalbuilding fair PrOJeCt iraQ took place in erbil,iraq. as part of the strong German presence at thefair, NUMOV, the German Near and Middle eastassociation together with the iraQi-GerMaN-BUSiNeSS-dialOGUe participated with a joint



NUMOV / iraQi GerMaN BUSiNeSSdialOGUe joint stand at the PrOJeCtiraQ

Participants of the conference “Mega Projects inthe Kingdom of Saudi arabia”

H.e. Mohamed Kamel amr, Foreign Ministerof the arab republic of egypt and H.e. dr.Guido Westerwelle, Foreign Minister of theFederal republic Germany

stand at the event. Particpants were provided withuseful and important information about Germancompanies who presented themselves and theirproducts at the joint German pavilion. the trade fairis a success story for the region and this success isreflected in the figures: this year, participants camefrom 24 countries, and the fari is fast becoming oneof the most important trade shows in the Near andMiddle east.

On 19th September 2011, the agreement for theavoidance of double taxation and of tax evasionbetween the Federal republic of Germany and therepublic of turkey was signed by H.e. WolfgangSchäuble, Minister of Finance of the Federalrepublic of Germany and H.e. Mehmet Simsek,Minister of Finance of the republic of turkey. H.e.Christian Wulff, President of the Federal republic ofGermany and H.e. abdullah Gül, President of therepublic of turkey attended the joint signature,which will further strengthen the bilateral relationshipbetween turkey and Germany. the new agreementis based on the OeCd Model Convention and itimproves the exchange of tax informations.

On the occasion of the visit of H.e. abdullah Gül,President of the republic of turkey, the conference“German-turkish energy Forum 2011 –regenerative energies” was held on 21st September2011 in Stuttgart, under the patronage of H.e.Christian Wulff, President of the Federal republic ofGermany. this high-level exchange highlighted theexcellent levels of German-turkish cooperation andshowed the willingness to increase this cooperationparticularly in the energy sector. High-rankingspeakers including ministers from both the turkishand German governments engaged in a fruitful dis-cussion concerning the future energy supply andpotential approaches. the turkish side emphasisedhow interesting the energy market is for Germaninvestors since turkey has focussed more and moreon regenerative enegy supply.



H.e. Wolfgang Schäuble, Minister of Financeof the Federal republic of Germany and H.e.Mehmet Simsek, Minister of Finance of therepublic of turkey, under attendance of H.e.abdullah Gül, President of the republic ofturkey and H.e. Christian Wulff, President ofthe Federal republic of Germany

f.l.t.r.: H.e. Winfried Kretschmann, MinisterPresident of Baden-Württemberg, H.e. tanerYildiz, turkish Minister of energy and Naturalresources, H.e. Mehmet Şimşek, turkishMinister of Finance, in Suttgart

From 25th to 29th September 2011, NUMOV, theGerman Near and Middle east association, orga-nized an economic delegation of twenty businessrepresentatives to the republic of turkey. the dele-gation was led by dr.-ing. e.h. Martin Herrenknecht,deputy Chairman of the Board of NUMOV andChairman of the Board of Herrenknecht aG. the del-egation consisted of representatives from many dif-ferent sectors and branches such as manufactureand construction, energy and real estate, mechani-cal and environmental engineering, as well as legal,political, economic and financial consultancy.

On the day of arrival, the delegation was invited fora dinner by the NUrOl Holding inc., one of themajor companies in turkey for construction, trading,tourism and finance.the delegation’s main interests



f.l.t.r.: H.e. eberhard Pohl, ambassador of the Federal republic of Germany toturkey, dr. h.c. Gerd andres, Wiese Consult GmbH, and dr.-ing. e.h. MartinHerrenknecht, deputy Chairman of the Board of NUMOV and Chairman of theBoard of Herrenknecht aG

f.l.t.r.: Hayati Cetin, dep. Head of energy department, Ministry of energy andNatural resources, Bernd romanski, dep. Chairman of NUMOV and Member ofthe Management Board HOCHtieF Solutions aG, and Osman Kimil, Presidentof BUV

were to get an impression and insightful informationon turkey’s current state of economic and politicalaffairs and to make contacts with potential businesspartners for cooperation and investment.

the delegation visited ankara on 26th September2011 and was received by H.e. ambassadoreberhard Pohl and Hans-Jörg Brunner, Head of theeconomic Service, at the embassy of the Federalrepublic of Germany. Here, the delegation wasinformed in detail about the political and economicframework conditions in turkey.

the German business representatives were thenreceived at the Confederation of Businessmen andindustrialists of turkey (tUSKON), one of the majorbusiness organizations in the country.

the afternoon of 27th September 2011 was thenreserved for a special Business Contact Forumwhich NUMOV organised together with the istanbulChamber of industry (iSO) at the Odakule İş Merkeziin İstiklâl Street, in the very heart of istanbul. Withindustry being the motor of both economies, theBusiness Forum helped pave the way for futurecooperation and investments.

the last full day of the delegation visit started with ameeting at the Foreign economic relations Board(deİK) in the up and coming quarter of levent, thebanking and commercial centre north of istanbul.

according to dr.-ing e.h. Martin Herrenknecht, thisyear’s NUMOV economic delegation to turkeyoffered another contribution to the strengthening ofthe bilateral relations, trust and cooperation betweenthe two countries and paid tribute to the high dynam-ic economic success and the growing role of turkeyas the anchor of stability in the region and for botheurope and the Near and Middle east. this praisewas acknowledged by the delegation’s conferencepartners in both ankara and istanbul, who all



expressed their thanks to NUMOV and the delega-tion participants for visiting “new turkey” and ren-dering support to the relations between the twocountries.

H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, German Federal Minister ofeconomics and technology, visited tripolis, theCapital of libya, from 12th to 13th October 2011,along with a German business delegation. He metwith several representatives of the libyan Nationaltransitional Council (lNtC), amongst others H.e.Mustafa Mohammed abdul al-Jalil, the Head of thelNtC. Besides humanitarian aid – Germany hasreceived injured libyans for medical treatment andis delivering drugs and medical equipment – theprospective economic cooperation between bothcountries was the major topic.

On 13th October, 2011, the German Orient-institutein cooperation with the Fid (Forum for interculturaldialogue e.V.) invited the author Michael thumannto discuss and present his book “der islam-irrtum:europas angst vor der islamischen Welt”. Michaelthumann has also been active as a correspondentfor the German newspaper die Zeit. the discus-sion took place at the Grimm Centre of the HumboldtUniversity in Berlin. in the ensuing discussion, theneed for further dialogue and the recognition of dif-ferences in religion, culture and identity, was high-lighted.

On 14th October 2011, NUMOV, the German Nearand Middle east association organised the event“Financial Conference Near and Middle east” at theinvitation of deutsche Bank aG in Frankfurt/Main.More than 100 business representatives from vari-ous companies attended the event in order to dis-



Michael thumann, Head of theeditorial office for the Middleeast of the newspaper dieZeit in istanbul

Participants of “Financial Conference Near and Middle east”

H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, Minister ofeconomics and technology of the Federalrepublic of Germany and H.e. dr. abdullahShamia, Minister of economics of the libyanNational transitional Council

cuss financing instruments and economic develop-ments in the MeNa region. Jürgen Fitschen,Member of the Board of deutsche Bank aG andMember of the Board of NUMOV, opened the eventand welcomed the participants, emphasising thestrong economic developments and huge potentialfor German companies in this region. the partici-pants also heard a series of informative presenta-tions from expert guest speakers and gained a use-ful insight into market potential in the Near andMiddle east. Finally, the participants also had theopportunity to visit the Green towers of deutscheBank aG, which are an excellent example of energyefficient architecture.

On 16th October 2011, H.e. Christian Wulff,President of the Federal republic of Germany,arrived in Kabul, afghanistan, as part of a sponta-neous state visit. He is the first German President in44 years to travel to the afghan capital. On the sameday, H.e. Christian Wulff met with H.e. HamidKarzai, President of the islamic republic ofafghanistan. aiming at intensifying bilateralexchange, H.e. Wulff emphasized the strong rela-tionship between Germany and afghanistan andaffirmed Germany’s support of afghanistan after thewithdrawal of international troops in 2014. He high-lighted that Germany will not abandon afghanistanand will be available for further advice and educa-tional capacities. Germany’s aim is the general long-term success of afghanistan, notably in the fields ofeconomy, security and reconstruction cooperation.

From 16th to 19th October 2011 the outstanding con-struction exhibition Saudi Build took place in riyadh.traditionally, German presence is strong at thisevent and this year was no exception, with 32German companies exhibiting at the event and withNUMOV, the German Near and Middle association,participating in cooperation with the German FederalMinistry of economics and technology in the form ofa joint pavilion. the German pavilion, one of the



Jürgen Fitschen, Member of the Board ofdeutsche Bank aG and Member of theBoard of NUMOV

German Pavillion at the international fairSaudi Build 2011 in riyadh

H.e. Christian Wulff, President of the Federalrepublic of Germany and H.e. Hamid Kazai,President of the islamic republic of afghanistan

largest at the exhibition, provided participants withimportant information about German products andexhibiting companies, which received a lot of atten-tion at the event. the Saudi Build is one of the mostsignificant construction events in the entire regionand most German participants have decided to takepart in next year’s show.

the 18th October 2011 marked the occasion of Qatarairways achieving its 100th destination which it oper-ates, a milestone for the airline. this was not theonly cause for celebration as the festive receptionalso marked 10 years since the foundation of theQatar-German-Business-Forum. the event wasopened by H.e. abdulrahman al-Khulaifi,ambassador of the State of Qatar to Germany, whowarmly welcomed all participants and, in his wel-come address, expressed his satisfaction and posi-tive outlook concerning Qatari-German relations.Gregory epps, Country Manager for Germany atQatar airways, gave a brief overview of the airlinesrecent history, charting its success story to becomeone of the most influential and fastest growing air-lines in the world. the event exemplifies the excel-lent Qatari-German cooperation and shows the com-mitment of the Qatar-German-Business-Forum topromoting and deepening bilateral relations.

On 1st November 2011, German Vice Chancellor andFederal Minister of economics and technology, H.e.dr. Philipp rösler, received the deputy PrimeMinister and Minister of State of the republic ofturkey, H.e. ali Babacan in Berlin. the visit of H.e.ali Babacan marked another step in the numerousmutual visits between German and turkish repre-sentatives. during the meeting, both ministers rec-ognized the potential and positive development ofthe bilateral economic relations. the long-lastingpartnership overcame the world economic crisis,and both countries recovered quite quickly.Germany and turkey may both be recognized asgrowth engines for the world economy.



H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, Vice Chancellor andFederal Minister of economics andtechnology, and H.e. ali Babacan, deputyPrime Minister and Minister of State of therepublic of turkey

f.l.t.r.: Michael Glos, the former FederalMinister for economics and technology,Member of the German Parliament andMember of the Board of NUMOV; H.e.abdulrahman al-Khulaifi, ambassador of theState of Qatar to Germany and HartmutMehdorn, CeO of air Berlin PlC & Co. andMember of the Board of NUMOV

German Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister ofeconomics and technology, H.e. dr. Philipp rösler,travelled to Baghdad from 2nd to 4th November 2011on the occasion of the 6th German-iraqi Jointeconomic Commission. H.e. dr. Philipp rösler wasaccompanied by a delegation of numerous repre-sentatives of German companies. the intention ofthe meeting was to enhance iraqi and German coop-eration in the fields of energy, health, trade andtransportation among others. the German Ministermet H.e. Nouri al-Maliki, Prime Minister of therepublic of iraq, H.e. Hassan Babakir, the Ministerof trade of the republic of iraq and H.e. ahmeddali, Minister of industry of the republic of iraq. themain concern of the iraqi Premier is to secure long-term methods of funding and financial resources.H.e. dr. Philipp rösler addressed the topic of analready negotiated bilateral investment treaty, whichstill needs to be ratified by the iraqi representatives.He emphasized the importance of such an agree-ment to encourage further investment and to providea safe environment for foreign firms and economicactivity. the opening of the “German day” of theBaghdad international Fair was another importantevent on the German Minister’s trip to Baghdad. thefair, which took place from the 1st to 10th November2011 has been organized by the iraqi Ministry oftrade and represents a wide range of industriessuch as agriculture and engineering.

On 8th November 2011, NUMOV, the German Nearand Middle east association, organised a confer-ence on project acquisition and implementation inthe countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)in Hamburg. during the conference the general eco-nomic development and business opportunities inthe GCC countries, as well as key aspects of projectacquisition such as project identification, coopera-tion with local partners, the dialogue with the clientsor partners, negotiations, and project financing wereaddressed. additionally, the options of political sup-port by the Federal Foreign Office and the



H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, Vice Chancellor andFederal Minister of economics andtechnology and H.e. Nouri al-Maliki, PrimeMinister of the republic of iraq

Günther Mull, CeO of der-MalOG identificationSystems GmbH and Memberof the Board of NUMOV

embassies in the region as well as export creditguarantees were covered by the speakers.

the prospects for Kuwaiti-German bilateral relationswere addressed during the economic reception on15th November 2011. H.e. dr. Musaed al-Haroun,ambassador of the State of Kuwait to Germany,received the members of NUMOV, the German Nearand Middle east association, at his residence inBerlin. H.e. dr. Musaed al-Haroun expressed hisconfidence in a further strengthening of the bilateralrelations between the State of Kuwait and theFederal republic of Germany. especially in eco-nomic terms, he sees potential for engagement ofGerman companies, as the Gulf state is seeking todiversify its economy and therefore needs technicalknow-how and products of high quality. the Kuwaitdevelopment Plan (KdP), initiated in 2010, is theblueprint of Kuwait’s ambitions to meet the futurechallenges of a growing population and gain inde-pendency from an oil-based economy.

H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle, Foreign Minister of theFederal republic of Germany, recently visited Kabulto meet with H.e. Hamid Karzai, President and H.e.Zalmai rassoul, Foreign Minister of the islamicrepublic of afghanistan. the occasion was in prepa-ration for the international afghanistan Conferencein Bonn which took place on 5th december 2011, andbrought together about 1,000 delegates from 85countries and 15 non-governmental organisations.

the German Foreign Minister underlined thatdespite the withdrawal of German security forces,the mutual partnership between both countries willremain and Germany will continue to help with thereconstruction process. Continued German engage-ment is important in maintaining stability inafghanistan and the region.

From 13th to 22nd November 2011, a group of 22youths from the Kingdom of Saudi arabia visited



dr. rainald Steck, ambassador (ret.) andMember of the advisory Board of NUMOV,and H.e. dr. Musaed al-Haroun, ambassadorof the State of Kuwait to Germany

Germany to meet with their German counterparts,along with representatives from the Ministry ofForeign affairs, King abdullah City for renewableenergy, and the private sector. the Forum is part ofthe interfaith dialogue initiative that was launched byH.M. King abdullah bin abdulaziz al-Saud, King ofSaudi arabia and Custodian of the two HolyMosques. in cooperation with the German FederalForeign Office, the Free University of Berlin and theecologic institute, a programme with visits to anddiscussions at several institutions in Berlin andHamburg was organised. during the closing sessionof the Forum on 21st November 2011 at the embassyof the Kingdom of Saudi arabia in Berlin, the speak-ers highlighted the importance of an intercultural dia-logue, especially between young people.

On the evening of 21st November 2011, the Bahrain-German Gala dinner took place on the occasion ofthe visit of a delegation from Bahrain to Germany,led by H.e. Sheikh Mohammed Bin essa al-Khalifa,Chief executive of the Bahrain economicdevelopment Board (edB). the Bahrain edB is astate-run organisation for the promotion of econom-ic development. it is chaired by H.r.H. PrinceSalman bin Hamad bin essa al Khalifa, the CrownPrince of the Kingdom of Bahrain. the event tookplace at the adlon Hotel in Berlin and 250 guestsactive in economic and political life in Germany andBahrain took part. the Bahrain-German Gala dinnerprovided an excellent opportunity to initiate or



Participants of the Bahrain-German Gala dinner

Closing Session of the Saudi-German YouthForum in the embassy of the Kingdom ofSaudi arabia in Berlin

H.e. Sheikh Mohammed Bin essa al Khalifa,Chief executive of the Bahrain economicdevelopment Board, and Bernd romanski,Chairman of NUMOV, and Member of theBoard of HOCHtieF Solutions aG

strengthen business contacts between German andBahraini company representatives.

On 23rd November 2011, the German Orient-instituteand the Konrad-adenauer-Stiftung, organised thejoint conference that was entitled “BetweenFreedom and repression – the Future of Syria”, togain an overview of the current situation and possi-ble future scenarios. in Syria, various oppositiongroups have been demonstrating against the Basharal-assad regime for the last eight months. thedemonstrators, like many in other countries in theregion, are calling for political participation, personalfreedom, and democratisation. the event was anexchange for high-ranking speakers and interestedparticipants from the political, cultural, scientific, andeconomic spheres.

On 28th November 2011, H.e. dr. Philipp rösler,German Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister ofeconomics and technology, met H.r.H. PrinceSalman bin Hamad bin isa al Khalifa, the CrownPrince of the Kingdom of Bahrain, to discuss region-al developments. they agreed to enhance bilateralcooperation in the future. On the next day, H.e. dr.Philipp rösler, German Vice Chancellor and FederalMinister of economics and technology, held a meet-ing with H.r.H. Prince Salman bin Hamad bin isa alKhalifa in Berlin. the focus of the meeting was tostrengthen bilateral economic relations as well asdiscuss the current reform process.

On tuesday, 29th November 2011, H.M. abdullah iibin al-Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom ofJordan, met with H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle,Foreign Minister of the Federal republic of Germanyduring his official visit to Germany for a continuingexchange of ideas about the Near east PeaceProcess and the situation in Syria, as well as thebilateral relations between Jordan and Germany.H.M. abdullah ii bin al-Hussein and H.e. dr. GuidoWesterwelle agreed to initiate further steps to



Hozan ibrahim, Member of the Secretariat-General of the Syrian National Council(SNC) and Spokesperson for the localCoordination Committees (lCC) in Syria, anddr. Nikolaos van dam, ambassador (ret.) ofthe Netherlands

H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle, Foreign Ministerof the Federal republic of Germany, andH.M. abdullah ii bin al-Hussein, King of theHashemite Kingdom of Jordan

H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, German ViceChancellor and Federal Minister ofeconomics and technology and H.r.H.Prince Salman bin Hamad bin isa al Khalifa,the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Bahrain

dr. Gunter Mulack, ambassador (ret.),director of the German Orient-institute, anddr. Carsten Wieland, Near east expert

strengthen the bilateral economic, political and cul-tural relations between the two countries.

the 89th NUMOV länderforum with a special focuson the Kingdom of Saudi arabia which was hostedby the Federal Ministry of Health took place on 30th

November 2011. H.e. dieter Haller, explained theimportance of Saudi arabia in the region and thestrong economic potential for German companies inthe Saudi market. His knowledgeable remarks weremost beneficial for the NUMOV members present.

after the 89th länderforum the NUMOV membersmeeting was opened by Martin Bay. He welcomedthe members and guests present to an additionalmembers meeting this year. He pointed out that hewished to relinquish his role as Chairman and rec-ommended Bernd romanski, deputy Chairman formany years and Member of the Board of HOCHtieFSolutions aG, as his successor. this was unani-mously confirmed in the subsequent vote. Burkharddahmen, Member of the Board of SMS Siemag wasalso elected as an additional deputy Chairman, andMatthias Müller, Chairman of the Board of Porsche,ralf to Baben, Member of the Board of rWe deaand Hubert Bock, Managing director of Misr Bankwere all elected as additional Members of the Board.

in the evening of 30th November 2011, H.e. dr.Philipp rösler, German Vice Chancellor and FederalMinister of economics and technology, met withBoard Members of NUMOV, the German Near andMiddle east association, and NUMOV HonoraryChairman and former Federal Chancellor H.e.Gerhard Schröder, as well as the newly electedNUMOV Chairman Bernd romanski. during themeeting he underlined the economic importance ofthe Near and Middle east region and his willingnessto support NUMOV activities for the region. H.e. dr.Philipp rösler also personally congratulated Berndromanski on his new appointment as Chairman ofthe Board of NUMOV.



Martin Bay and H.e. dieter Haller,German ambassador to the Kingdom ofSaudi arabia

Bernd romanski and Martin Bay

On 1st december 2011, UniCredit Bank aG organ-ised the event trade & export Finance day 2011.the event took place in Nürnberg and broughttogether expert guest speakers to discuss varioustopics concerning finance and banking activities inthe Near and Middle east. NUMOV contributedthrough a comprehensive overview of the macro-economic developments and opportunities in theNear and Middle east region.

H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, Vice Chancellor and FederalMinister of economics and technology of theFederal republic of Germany, visited the State ofQatar from 7th to 8th december 2011. He was accom-panied by a high-ranking German business delega-tion. Besides a meeting with H.H. Sheikh Hamad binKhalifa al-thani, emir of the State of Qatar, the visitwas also in conjunction with the 20th WorldPetroleum Congress which took place from 4th to 8th

december 2011 in doha. On 9th december 2011,H.e. dr. Philipp rösler arrived in egypt in order todemonstrate Germany’s commitment to supportegypt’s transitional process over the next years.

On the occasion of the visit of H.e. Hadi Farhanabdullah al-ameri, Minister of transport of therepublic of iraq, several issues concerning the iraqi



f.l.t.r.: leonhard Guntz, Head of internationalBusiness for Northern Bavaria, UniCreditBank aG; abdurrahim Güleç deputyManaging director of NUMOV; alexanderladaa, Head of transactional Sales,UniCredit Bank aG; Siegfried Hochhold,Senior trade risk Facilitation Manager,UniCredit Bank aG; rené Kienast, Companyadvisor for euler Hermes Credit insuranceaG and Georg Huber, Board Member Se,Berching

f.l.t.r.: Helene rang, CeO and dp. Chairperson of NUMOV; dr. NorbertKloppenburg, Member of the Board of KfW Bankengruppe and dp. Chairman ofNUMOV; H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former German Federal Chancellor andHonorary Chairman of NUMOV; H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, German Vice Chancellorand Federal Minister of economics and technology, and Bernd romanski,Member of the Board of HOCHtieF Solutions aG and new Chairman of theBoard of NUMOV

H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, German ViceChancellor and Federal Minister ofeconomics and technology with H.H. SheikhHamad bin Khalifa al thani, emir of the Stateof Qatar

transport sector were addressed during the German-iraqi economic dialogue – infrastructure andtransport on 21st december 2011 in Berlin. theevent was opened by H.e. dr. Peter ramsauer,Federal Minister of transport, Building and Urbandevelopment of the Federal republic of Germany.H.e. dr. Peter ramsauer highlighted the close bilat-eral relations between the two countries and the vastopportunities for further intensification. the German-iraqi economic dialogue was attended by dr. Samir. al-araji, Chairman of the National investmentCommission (NiC) of the republic of iraq, H.e.Hussein Mahmood Fadhlalla alkhateeb,ambassador of the republic of iraq to Germany, aswell as further representatives from the Germanministries staff and several high-ranking representa-tives from key German companies dealing in thetransport sector.

From 7th to 9th January 2012, H.e. dr. GuidoWesterwelle, Foreign Minister of the Federalrepublic of Germany visited algeria, libya andtunisia in order to emphasize the German supportfor the countries in a transitional phase after havingseen large-scale popular uprisings in 2011. First,H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle arrived in algeria andmet with H.e. Mourad Medelci, Foreign Minister ofthe People’s democratic republic of algeria, H.e.ahmed Ouyahya, Prime Minister of the People’sdemocratic republic of algeria, and H.e. MohamedBenmeradi, Minister of industries of the People’sdemocratic republic of algeria. On 8th January 2012,he went on to libya to discuss current developmentsin libya with H.e. abdurrahim el-Keib, transitionalPrime Minister of libya.

On the last day of his trip, H.e. dr. GuidoWesterwelle arrived in tunisia which was the firstcountry that had seen popular uprisings in 2011.during his talks with H.e. Moncef Marzouki,President of the republic of tunisia, and H.e.Hamadi Jebali, Prime Minister of the republic of



f.l.t.r:: Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV; H.e.dr. Peter ramsauer, Federal Minister oftransport, Building and Urban developmentof the Federal republic of Germany; H.e.Hadi Farhan abdullah al-ameri, Minister oftransport of the republic of iraq; H.e. dr.Hussain M. Fadhlallah alkhateeb,ambassador of the republic of iraq toGermany

2012

H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle, Foreign Ministerof the Federal republic of Germany and H.e.rafik abdel- Salam, Foreign Minister of thetunisian republic signed a common agree-ment within the German-tunisiantransformation dialogue and a declaration ofintention for a energy partnership.

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H.e. Hans-Joachim Otto, Parliamentary StateSectretary at the Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, and the accom-panying German business delegation

f.l.t.r.: Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV, H.e.abdulrahman Mohamed al-Khulaifi,ambassador of the State of Qatar toGermany, H.e. thomas ilka, State Secretaryat the German Federal Ministry of Health,H.e. Professor dr. med. Ossama bin abdulMajed Shobokshi, ambassador of theKingdom of Saudi arabia to Germany anddoyen of the arab diplomatic Corps, H.e. dr.Hussain Mahmood Fadhlalla alkhateeb,ambassador of the republic of iraq toGermany, H.e. dr. med. Masednah el-Kothany, ambassador of libya to Germany

tunisia, H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle praised the lat-est achievements and granted Germany’s supportfor the implementation of a democratic and liberalpolitical and economic system.

against the background of steady economic growthand close trade relations with the countries of theNear and Middle east, H.e. Hans-Joachim Otto,Parliamentary State Sectretary at the FederalMinistry of economics and technology, paid a visit tothe United arab emirates and Qatar. He was accom-panied by a high-ranking German business delega-tion. during his trip from 11th to 17th January 2012,H.e. Hans-Joachim Otto and the German companyrepresentatives visited the international fairs“intersec” which was taking place from 15th to 17th

January 2012 in dubai, and the “World Futureenergy Summit (WFeS)” in abu dhabi, taking placefrom 16th to 19th January 2012. in several intensivetalks, the options to further strengthen the bilateralrelations and to closely cooperate were addressed.

H.e. Hans-Joachim Otto emphasized that the coun-tries of the Near and Middle east, and the GCCstates in particular will see considerable economicgrowth over the next years and will provide manylucrative business opportunities for German invest-ments.

the conference “Medical Specialists –Strengthening the Health education Cooperationbetween Germany and the Near and Middle east”organized by the German Orient-institute in cooper-ation with the German Federal Ministry of Healthwas held with great success on the 12th January2012 in Berlin. H.e. thomas ilka, State Secretary atthe German Federal Ministry of Health welcomedthe participants and briefly introduced them to thetopic. after a welcome address from H.e. Prof. dr.med. Ossama bin abdul Majed Shobokshi,ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia toGermany and doyen of the arab diplomatic Corps,



H.e. Hussain Mahmood Fadhlalla alkhateeb,ambassador of the republic of iraq to Germany,H.e. abdulrahman Mohammed S. al-Khulaifi,ambassador of the State of Qatar to Germany, andH.e. dr. Masednah el-Kothany, ambassador oflibya to Germany, various experts in their fields pro-vided a comprehensive overview on health educa-tion cooperation with the aim to broaden educationand training to health professionals from the araband Central asian countries.

Prior to this conference, the German Orient-instituteconducted the study “Cooperation with the Near andMiddle east and Central asia. Medical Specialisttraining in Germany – Current Situation,Challenges, Perspectives” concerning opportunitiesfor multilateral cooperation in the health educationsector, which was presented to the public during theconference. the system in Germany for training doc-tors from the arab world or Central asia has thepotential to become a model for success. Bothdemand from the region and interest on the Germanside to expand international cooperation in the areaof medical specialist training are in abundance. it isestimated that currently already more than 1,000doctors and medical practitioners from arab coun-tries including Saudi arabia, the United arabemirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, iraq and libya, aswell as from the Central asian republics ofKazakhstan, turkmenistan and azerbaijan are cur-rently in Germany pursuing specialist training orspecialising.

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany and HonoraryChairman of NUMOV, the German Near and Middleeast association, paid a visit to the Sultanate ofOman from 15th to 17th January 2012. He wasaccompanied by a high-ranking German businessdelegation which sought to improve the alreadygood relations with Oman. H.e. Gerhard Schröderwas warmly welcomed by H.M. Sultan Qaboos Bin



NUMOV joint stand at the World Futureenergy Summit in abu dhabi

Sa’id al Sa’id, Sultan of the Sultanate of Oman. Bothpraised the strong and trustful ties between the twocountries and their efforts to closely cooperate in thefuture in order to help the Sultanate to diversify itseconomy.

additionally, H.e. Gerhard Schröder met with H.e.Sheikh Saad Mohammed Said al-Mardhoff al-Saadi,Minister of Commerce and industry, H.e. GeneralSultan Mohammed a’Nomani, Minister of the royalOffice, H.e. darwish ismail al-Balushi, Ministerresponsible for Financial affairs, H.e. dr. Omarabdel Moneim al-Zawari, His Majesty’s Specialadvisor for external liason, and H.e. Khalil abdullahal-Khunji, Chairman of Oman Chamber ofCommerce and industry.

during the 5th “World Future energy Summit(WFeS)” which took place from 16th to 19th January2012 under the patronage of H.H. General SheikhMohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince ofabu dhabi and deputy Supreme Commander of theUae armed Forces and was hosted by Masdar, amubdala company, NUMOV, the German Near andMiddle east association participated with a jointexhibition stand at the event. NUMOV, also an offi-cial supporter of the WFeS 2012, provided all inter-ested visitors with important information regardingGerman companies representing themselves and

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of the Federal republic of Germanyand Honorary Chairman of NUMOV, and H.M. Sultan Qaboos Bin Sa’id al Sa’id,Sultan of the Sultanate Oman



their products, therefore promoting the establish-ment and deepening of economic and trade rela-tions with companies in the Near and Middle east.

H.e. Mahmoud abbas, President of the PalestinianNational authority, recently paid a state visit toGermany from 17th to 19th January 2012 on the invi-tation of H.e. Christian Wulff, President of theFederal republic of Germany. during his three-dayvisit, H.e. Mahmoud abbas met with H.e. ChristianWulff, H.e. dr. angela Merkel, Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany, and H.e. dr. GuidoWesterwelle, Foreign Minister of the Federalrepublic of Germany. Both the Palestinian and theGerman side emphasized the good relations andtheir willingness to go further with the peace talksbetween israel and the Palestinians. the peaceprocess was one major topic that had beenaddressed during the intensive talks. a mutualacceptable solution for the conflict would alsoenhance Palestinian political and economic perfor-mance and overall development.

in addition to his visit to algeria, libya and tunisia,H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle, Foreign Minister of theFederal republic of Germany, continued his trip tothe Near and Middle east region on 29th January2012 with a visit to the Hashemite Kingdom ofJordan, where he met with his Jordanian counterpartH.e. Nasser Judeh, Foreign Minister of the Kingdomof Jordan, to discuss the latest regional develop-ments. the next day, he went on to egypt evaluatingthe egyptian transitional process and emphasizingthat Germany is keen to support egypt’s pathtowards democracy and a free market economy.

the next steps were discussed with H.e. MohamedKamel amr, Foreign Minister of the arab republic ofegypt, several high-ranking party leaders, as well asH.e. amr Moussa, Presidential Candidate and for-mer Secretary General of the arab league. On 1st

February 2012, H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle arrived

H.e. Mahmoud abbas, President of thePalestinian National authority, and H.e.Christian Wulff, President of the Federalrepublic of Germany



in israel where he met with H.e. Shimon Peres,President of the State of israel, BenjaminNetanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of israel, andavigdor lieberman, Foreign Minister of the State ofisrael. the intensive talks focused on the currentpeace process with the Palestinians and recentdevelopments in the Near and Middle east.

Following this, H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle visitedH.e. Mahmoud abbas, President of the PalestinianNational authority, in ramallah. additionally, H.e. dr.Guido Westerwelle and H.e. dirk Niebel, Minister foreconomic Cooperation and development of theFederal republic of Germany, met with H.e. SalamFayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian authorityto discuss recent developments in the West Bank,the progress of the peace process, and the optionsto further support the Palestinian people.

On 26th January 2012, H.e. Gerhard Schröder, for-mer Chancellor of the Federal republic of Germanyand Honorary Chairman of NUMOV, and H.r.H.Prince Sultan bin Salman bin abdul-aziz al-Saud,President and Chairman of the Board of the SaudiCommission for tourism and antiquities of theKingdom of Saudi arabia met each other in Berlin oninvitation of dr. Nobert Kloppenburg, Member of theBoard of KfW banking group and Member of theBoard of NUMOV. they outlined the deep and trust-

f.l.t.r.: H.e. Prof. dr. med. Ossama bin abdul Majed Shobokshi, ambassador ofthe Kingdom of Saudi arabia to Germany and doyen of the arab diplomaticCorps, H.e. Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany and Honorary Chairman of NUMOV, and H.r.H. Prince Sultan binSalman bin abdul-aziz al-Saud, President and Chairman of the Board of theSaudi Commission for tourism and antiquities of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia



H.e. Muhammad ShehbazSharif, Chief Minister of thePunjab, Pakistan

ful relations between Saudi arabia and Germanyand the participants discussed the bilateral cooper-ation in several political and economic fields.

the islamic republic of Pakistan presented itspotential in agricultural products with a joint exhibi-tion stand at the international Green Week 2012,which took place from 20th - 29th January 2012 inBerlin. a delegation of officials and business repre-sentatives from Pakistan visited Germany on thisoccasion. the delegation was led by H.e.Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Minister ofPunjab. On 19th January 2012, the delegation,organised by NUMOV, met with German business-people to promote cooperation between Germanyand Pakistan.

On 7th February 2012, H.e. Philipp rösler, ViceChancellor and Federal Minister of economics andtechnology of the Federal republic of Germany,met with H.e. Mehmet Zafer Caglayan, Minister ofeconomy of the republic of turkey, in order to dis-cuss economic relations between both countries,including the bilateral trade development.

NUMOV, the Near and Middle east association, pre-sented its work and services at the Biogas WorldFair and Solarenergy from 21st - 25th February 2012in Berlin. due to the fact that renewable energy hasbecome an important topic in the Near and Middleeast region, the NUMOV stand enjoyed high atten-tion among the visitors.

the 90th NUMOV-länderforum took place on 29th

February 2012 with a special focus on libya. H.e.dr. aly Masednah el-Kothany, ambassador of libyato Germany and guest of honour at the event,underlined the economic opportunities for Germancompanies in the rebuilding of libya.

during her visit to tunisia and Morocco from 12th -15th March 2012, H.e. Cornelia Pieper, Minister of

H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, Vice Chancellor andFederal Minister of economics andtechnology of the Federal republic ofGermany, and H.e. Mehmet Zafer Caglayan,Minister of economy of the republic ofturkey

f.l.t.r.: Peter dingens, ambassador (ret.),Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV;dr. dieter ernst, Secretary of State (ret.),iWC - innovation and water consult, Memberof the Board of NUMOV; Helene rang, CeOof NUMOV; H.e. dr. med. aly Masednah el-Kothany, ambassador of libya to Germany;dr. Gerald Bumharter, General Manager ofaBC int. Bank

State at the Federal Foreign Office, was accompa-nied by a high-ranking German business delegationon a mission supported by NUMOV to learn aboutpotential cooperation opportunities in the renewableenergy sector.

On 24th March 2012, the German-PalestinianSteering Committee came together under theleadership of H.e. dr. Guido Westerwelle, ForeignMinister of the Federal republic of Germany, andH.e. Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Prime Minister,for its second meeting in Berlin. discussed topicswere Germany’s further involvement in nation- andconstitution-building in the Palestine territoriesas well as economic cooperation between bothcountries.

On 25th March 2012, H.e. Guido Westerwelle,Foreign Minister of the Federal republic ofGermany, was welcomed by H.M. Sultan Qaboosbin Said bin taimur, Sultan of the Sultanate ofOman, in the capital Muscat in order to celebrate the40 year anniversary of diplomatic relations betweenGermany and Oman.

the conference “Health insurance in tunisia:Sustainability and Future Perspectives” organizedby NUMOV on behalf of the German FederalMinistry of Health, was held on 26th March 2012 intunisia’s capital tunis.

in response to the invitation by lufthansa technikaG, NUMOV held the “German know-how in the



H.e. Cornelia Pieper, Minister of State at theGerman Federal Foreign Office, and H.e.Mohammed lamine Chakhari, Minister forindustry and Commerce of the republic oftunisia

f.l.t.r.: thomas Freudenhammer, Chargé d’affaires of the German embassy intunis, Ortwin Schulte, Head of division for european and internationalHealthcare Policy at the German Federal Ministry of Health, dr. riadh Benabbes, director at the Caisse Nationale d’assurance Maladie (CNaM), dr.ahmed Banasr, Faculty of Medicine tunis

Near and Middle east” conference on the 28th March2012. after visiting the company’s facilities, FrédéricVo Van, director of Business developmentinternational relations africa at lufthansa technikaG, opened the conference and outlined the impor-tance of knowledge transfer. Christian Krause ofHochtief aG reemphasized these words, especiallywith a view to the construction sector. andreasPörtner, team leader of Oil & Gas, Petrochemicals,Paper and Pulp at KfW iPeX-Bank, dr. thomasWülfing, a legal partner at Wülfing Zeuner rechelrechtsanwälte Partnerschaft, and Friederike Krüger,of PricewaterhouseCoopers aG, delivered a presen-tation on investment opportunities and the legalissues in the region.

Under the patronage of H.e. anne ruth Herkes,State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, 38 representatives ofGerman companies travelled to algeria to participatein the 2nd Joint economic Commission in algier, heldfrom 24th - 25th april 2012. also present at the com-mission were: H.e. Mohammed Benmeradi, algerianMinister for industry, SMes and investment; H.e.Madjid Bouguerra, algerian ambassador toGermany; H.e. Jutta Wolke, German ambassador toalgeria; dr. Christoph J.Partsch, executive directorof the German-algerian Chamber of industry andCommerce, and abdelkarim Mansouri, Generaldirector of the National agency for developmentand investment (aNdi).

From 2nd - 6th May 2012, the international construc-tion exhibition turkeybuild istanbul 2012 had takenplace in istanbul for the 35th time. 23 German com-panies presented their products and technologies;14 of them did so at the German Pavilion on behalfof the German Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology, supported by NUMOV.

On invitation of H.e. dr. ibrahim al-assaf, Minister ofFinance of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia, H.e. dr.



H.e. Mohammed Benmeradi,algerian Minister for industry,SMes and investment

H.e. dr. ibrahim al-assaf,Minister of Finance of theKingdom of Saudi arabiasince 1996

Philipp rösler, German Vice Chancellor and FederalMinister of economics and technology, attended the18th Saudi-German Joint economic Commission inthe Kingdom of Saudi arabia. He was accompaniedby a high level delegation supported by NUMOV.

the NUMOV annual Conference 2012 took place atthe Federal Foreign Office in Berlin on the 8th May2012. after Bernd romanski, Chairman of NUMOVand Member of the Board of Hochtief Solutions aG,opened the annual meeting, H.e. dr. Harald Braun,State Secretary at the Federal Foreign Office, sum-marised the latest developments and upcomingopportunities in the region. His colleague H.e. Jörgranau, deputy director-General of the economicdivision at the Federal Foreign Office, gave anoverview of the current situation in the Maghreb andMiddle east region.

the conference was joined by other importantkeynote speakers: H.e. ambassador Boris ruge,director-General for the Near and Middle east andNorth africa; H.e. eberhard Pohl, Germanambassador to the republic of turkey; H.e.Wolfgang dik, Former deputy Head of Mission ofthe Federal republic of Germany to the Kingdom ofSaudi arabia; H.e. dr. andreas reinicke, eU Specialrepresentative to the Middle east Peace Process,H.e. Michael Bock, German ambassador to the arabrepublic of egypt; and H.e. Frank M. Mann,German ambassador to the State of Kuwait.



Participants of the NUMOV Near and Middle east annual Conference 2012 at theFederal Foreign Office in Berlin

H.e. dr. Harald Braun, StateSecretary at the GermanFederal Foreign Office

Bernd romanski, Chairmanof NUMOV and Member ofthe Board of HOCHtieFSolutions aG

the NUMOV annual Members Meeting 2012 washeld prior to the annual Conference. First, Berndromanski, Chairman of NUMOV and Member of theBoard of Hochtief Solutions aG, welcomed the atten-dees and gave a short revision of NUMOV’s activi-ties during 2011. Burkhard dahmen, Member ofthe Board of SMS Siemag, was recommended asthe new treasurer of NUMOV and successor toJens-Oliver Stier, Managing director of WintersteinKontor GmbH, who had held the position for 15years.

the NUMOV Near and Middle east Gala dinnertook place in the evening on 8th May 2012 atSchlüterhof, the German Historical Museum inBerlin. the event was hosted by emirates airlines,and attendees were welcomed by the company’srepresentative Volker Greiner, Vice President ofNorth and Central europe of emirates airline. SalemObaidalla, Senior Vice President of Continentaleurope and the russian Federation of emiratesairlines, spoke briefly about the firm’s success story.Bernd romanski, Chairman of NUMOV and Memberof the Board of Hochtief Solutions aG, emphasized



f.l.t.r.: Hubert Bock, Managing director of Misr Bank-europe GmbH, Member ofthe Board of NUMOV; Martin Bay, deputy Chairman of the Board of NUMOV,deutsche Bahn international, German railway Group; Burkhard dahmen,Chairman of the Board of SMS Siemag aG and deputy Chairman of the Boardof NUMOV; Helene rang, CeO and dp. Chairperson of NUMOV; Berndromanski, Member of the Board of HOCHtieF Solutions aG and Chairman ofthe Board of NUMOV; Jens-Ove Stier, Managing director of Winterstein KontorGmbH and deputy Chairman of the Board of NUMOV

f.l.t.r.:Salem Obaidalla, Senior VicePresident of Continental europe and therussian Federation of emirates airlines,Bernd romanski, Chairman of NUMOV andMember of the Board of Hochtief SolutionsaG, Mara Kaselitz, dubai department oftourism and Commerce Marketing andVolker Greiner, Vice President of North andCentral europe of emirates airline

Participants of the NUMOV German Near and Middle east Gala dinner 2012

NUMOV’s important role as a platform for businessand cultural exchange in the region.

On 15th May 2012, H.e. Hamid Karzai, President ofthe islamic republic of afghanistan, visited H.e.angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal republicof Germany, in Berlin. during the meeting a bilateralcooperation treaty was signed. Both sides agreed toconcentrate on sustainable development, solid jobtraining programs, infrastructure development andgood governance.

the conference “economic cooperation with thecountries of the Near and Middle east”, hosted byNUMOV in cooperation with GiZ, deutscheGesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit,and the German Ministry for economic Cooperationand development, were held on 15th May 2012 inBerlin. Opening the event, dr. Christoph Beier,Member of the Board of NUMOV and Member of theBoard of GiZ, welcomed the guests, followed byH.e. Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz, State Secretary at theGerman Federal Ministry for economic Cooperationand development.

On 4th June 2012, alina Mambrey, Chairperson ofthe Junior Section of NUMOV, welcomed 20 youngdiplomats from the MeNa region to the office ofNUMOV. thereafter, the group was led by FolkmarStoecker, retired ambassador and advisory BoardMember of NUMOV. the diplomats exchangedideas with other NUMOV members.



H.e. dr. angela Merkel, Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany, and H.e.Hamid Karzai, President of the islamicrepublic of afghanistan

H.e. Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz,State Secretary at theGerman Federal Ministry foreconomic Cooperation anddevelopment

dr. Christoph Beier, Memberof the Board of deutscheGesellschaft für inter-nationale Zusammenarbeit(GiZ)

Participants of the young diplomats in front of the NUMOV office

From 5th - 8th June 2012, the “Project lebanon” exhi-bition for building and construction in the Middleeast region took place in Beirut. 14 German compa-nies presented their goods and services at theGerman pavilion on behalf of the German FederalMinistry of economics and technology and support-ed by NUMOV.

the Seminar “tunisia – Waste disposal, recycling,and Municipal Waste Management”, organized byNUMOV, was held on the 15th June at the KfW bank-ing group in Frankfurt/ Main. Wolfgang reuß,director North africa and Middle east at KfWentwicklungsbank, opened the seminar by describ-ing the financial cooperation the KfW enjoys withtunisia.

H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, German Vice-Chancellorand Federal Minister of economics and technology,welcomed H.e. Fouad douiri, Moroccan Ministerof energy, Mines, Water and environment, in Berlinon 3rd July 2012. they signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding in order to create and further developbilateral energy partnerships between Morocco andGermany.

an afghan business delegation led by arashYounosi, Chairman of the Balkh Chamber ofCommerce and industries, was organised byNUMOV and H.e. Matthias Meyer, Germanambassador to the islamic republic of afghanistan.the delegation visited several companies inGermany and attended the afghanistan conferencein Berlin on the 4th July 2012. elke Hoff, Member of



Wolfgang reuß, director,North africa and Middle east,KfW entwicklungs-bank

Participants of the afghan delegation during the conference

the German Parliament and Member of the Board ofNUMOV, opened the conference, followed by H.e.ambassador Matthias Meyer, Head of the Mazar-eSharif Office, H.e. Professor dr. abdul rahmanashraf, ambassador of the islamic republic ofafghanistan to Germany, and dr. rudolf Gridl, Headof division North africa, Near and Middle east at theGerman Federal Ministry for economics andtechnology. they pointed out the challenges aswell as the opportunities for afghan-German cooper-ation.

the “Wirtschaftstag Naher und Mittlerer Osten”,organized by NUMOV and hosted by SMS SiemagaG, took place on 11th July 2012. Burkhard dahmen,Chairman of the Managing Board of SMS SiemagaG and deputy Chairman of the Board of NUMOV,opened the conference, followed by: Manfred tilz,Germany trade and invest GmbH; dr. GuidoKleinschmidt, Member of the Board of SMS SiemagaG; Hubert Bock, Managing director of Misr Bank-europe GmbH and Member of the Board of NUMOV;ralf Scherer, director Near and Middle east atFerrostaal industrieanlagen GmbH; HerwigMaaßen, Senior Partner at Pricewaterhouse-Coopers aG; and dr. Murad daghles, legalConsultant at allen & Overy llP.

in cooperation with the NBank in Hannover, NUMOVwent on to arrange a conference on the economy inSaudi arabia. the event took place at the NBankbuilding on the 18th July 2012. after an introduction



f.l.t.r.: Helene rang, CeO and dp. Chairperson of NUMOV, arash Younosi,Chairman of the Balkh Chamber of Commerce and industries, H.e. Professor dr.abdul rahman ashraf, ambassador of islamic republic of afghanistan toGermany, elke Hoff, Member of the German Parliament, Member of the Board ofNUMOV, the German Near and Middle east association, and Member of theBoard of the German Orient-Foundation, H.e. ambassador Matthias Meyer,Head of Mazar-e Sharif Office, Federal Foreign Office, and dr. rudolf Gridl,Head of division North africa, Near and Middle east at the German FederalMinistry of economics and technology

Burkhard dahmen, Chairmanof the Managing Board ofSMS Siemag aG and dp.Chairman of the Board ofNUMOV

by Peter Perkuhn, NUMOV representative for lowerSaxony, dr. Sabine Johannsen, Member of theBoard of NBank, outlined the strong economic per-formance of Saudi arabia. H.e. dieter Haller,ambassador of the Federal republic of Germany tothe Kingdom of Saudi arabia, then provided the par-ticipants with first-hand information, before dr.thomas Suckut, CeO of deutsche Babcock Middleeast, spoke about the energy sector in the Kingdomand Christoph Keimer, legal consultant at Schlüter,Graf & Partner, analysed its legal system.

On 3rd august 2012, the conference “Zukunftsmarkttürkei” in Berlin, organized by NUMOV, providedinformation on the latest economic developments,project information and experience reports from therepublic of turkey. after Peter dingens, retiredambassador and Member of the advisory Board ofNUMOV, held the welcome speech, H.e. Hüseyinavni Karslιoğlu, ambassador of the republic ofturkey to Germany, shared his experiences with theattendees. additionally, several high ranking person-



f.l.t.r.: dr. thomas Suckut, CeO of deutsche Babcock Middle east, ChristophKeimer, legal consultant at Schlüter, Graf & Partner, Peter Perkuhn, NUMOV rep-resentative for lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, H.e. dieter Haller,ambassador of the Federal republic of Germany to the Kingdom of Saudiarabia, Stefan austermann, NBank

H.e. dieter Haller, ambassador of theFederal republic of Germany to theKingdom of Saudi arabia

f.l.t.r.: Helge tolksdorf, Head of division of the enlargement of the europeanUnion, Southeast europe, turkey at the Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology, H.e. Hüseyin avni Karslιoğlu, ambassador of the republic of turkeyto Germany, Peter dingens, ambassador (ret.) and Member of the advisoryBoard of NUMOV, dr. Wolf-ruthart Born, State Secretary (ret.) and Member ofthe Board of trustees of the German Orient-Foundation, Saffet Molvalı, CFOeren Holding a.Ş. and Member of the Board of the German Orient-Foundation

alities from political institutions, banks and compa-nies shared their knowledge and experience with theparticipants.

Within the scope of a business visit focusing on thelogistic sector to Germany, a joint delegation fromthe republic of Kazakhstan and the republic ofUzbekistan attended an economic Conference,organised by NUMOV, in Berlin on 3rd august 2012.tatyana v. Zhdanova, Vice-President of theChamber of Commerce and industry of the republicof Kazakhstan, invited German entrepreneurs andcompanies to seize the opportunities offered by thetwo countries. Nazirdjan abidjanov from theChamber of industry and Commerce in Uzbekistanalso addressed the attendees.

the “rebuilding libya – Chances and Challenges”conference was held at the German Parliament on11th September 2012, organised by NUMOV and theGerman Orient-institute. Günter Gloser, Chairman ofthe Parliamentarian Group of the Maghreb Statesand President of the Board of trustees of the



Nazirdjan abidjanov, Chamberof Commerce and industry ofUzbekistan and director ofthe Centre of expertise andCleaner Production

f.l.t.r.: dr. rudolf Gridl, Head of division North africa, Near and Middle east at theFederal Ministry of economics and technology, Stephan Hallmann, ZdF-corre-spondent and Member of the Board of trustees of the German Orient-Foundation, dr. ahmed a. ashaibi, General Manager of Planning Studies anddevelopment of the General electricity Company of libya, dr. Olaf abel, VicePresident engineering & Maintenance of Wintershall Holding GmbH

f.l.t.r.: dr. Michael lüders, deputy Chairman of the Board of the German Orient-Foundation, Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV, Udo Volz, deputy Headof the Maghreb department at the German Federal Foreign Office and deskOfficer for libya, Günter Gloser, Chairman of the Parlamentarian Group of theMaghreb States and President of the Board of trustees of the German Orient-Foundation, ali algibbeshi, independent candidate in the 2012 parliamentaryelection in libya

German Orient-Foundation, opened the conferencewith a welcoming speech. He was followed by vari-ous experts, presenting their views and expectationsregarding libya’s future development.

On 12th September 2012, the Federal Foreign officewelcomed a tunisian delegation, led by Secretary ofState for european affairs, H.e. touhami abdouli.the delegation, consisting of various state secre-taries, attended the two-day tunisian-German minis-terial council meeting. the German side, headed bythe Secretary of State for Foreign affairs H.e. emilyHaber, comprised state secretaries from nineministries.

in cooperation with the State developmentCorporation of thuringia (leG thüringen) andSolarvalley Mitteldeutschland, NUMOV arranged the“Solar energy in the Near and Middle east” confer-

ence for the 12th September 2012 in erfurt. andreasKrey, CeO of leG thüringen and Martin Bay,deputy Chairman of NUMOV, welcomed the partici-pants. representatives from institutions and compa-nies connected to solar energy spoke about theirexperiences, opportunities, challenges and financialpossibilities.

On the behalf of the Federal Ministry of economicsand technology, NUMOV organised a GCC delega-tion to Germany in September 2012. they visitedvarious institutions and companies in the securitytechnologies field. the trip was highlighted by



f.l.t.r.: H.e. emily Haber, State Secretary atthe German Federal Foreign Office, H.e.alaya Bettaied, State Secretary forCooperation and investment at the tunisianMinistry for Foreign affairs, H.e. elyesGhariani, ambassador of the republic oftunisia to Germany, and H.e. touhamiabdouli, State Secretary for european affairsat the tunisian Ministry for Foreign affairs

f.l.t.r.: dr. Michael Kraemer, legal Counsel of emirates Solar industry association(eSia), Senior assoicate at taylor Wessing (Middle east) llP; dr. MatthiasPeschke, COO at Masdar PV GmbH; andreas Krey, CeO of the Statedevelopment Corporation of thuringia (leG thüringen); Martin Bay, deputyChairman of NUMOV; Stephan Mayer, aZUrSPaCe Solar Power GmbH; dr.Klaus eberhardt, M+W Germany GmbH

Klaus eberhardt, Member ofthe Board of NUMOV andChairman of rheinmetall aG

the “1st German-GCC Security Conference” indüsseldorf, held on 24th September 2012. High rank-ing personalities from the private sector and min-istries shared their knowledge with the participantsand answered their questions regarding securityissues and potential exchange between Germanyand the GCC countries.

From the 24th-27th September 2012, NUMOV partici-pated with a joint stand at the “Big 4 Show rebuildlibya” in tripoli. the main product groups presentedat the fair were infrastructure technologies, con-struction systems, electricity and energy, water tech-nology, and construction machinery. NUMOV publi-cized its services, wide network and the way inwhich it supports companies to establish or extendtheir presence in the Near and Middle east region.

On 28th September 2012, Wintershall Holding GmbHstaged a discussion panel on the energy market.



Participants of the 1st German – GCC Security Conference in düsseldorf

NUMOV joint exhibition stand at the Big 4Show rebuild libya 2012

dr. rainer Seele, Chairman of the Board of Wintershall Holding GmbH and H.e. abdalla Salem el-Badri, Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleumexporting Countries OPeC

H.e. abdalla Salem el-Badri, Secretary General ofthe Organisation of Petroleum exporting CountriesOPeC, one of the most important players in theworld energy sector, discussed the situation andprospects for the world’s energy market.

From the 2nd-4th October 2012, the “infra Oman” exhi-bition took place for the second time, enablingaround 150 exhibitors to present their services andproducts. the construction and infrastructure sectorwas especially well-presented as well as power andwater technologies, renewable energies, transporta-tion, logistics, and industrial equipment. NUMOVparticipated with a joint stand for its members.

a German business delegation under the leadershipof dr. rudolf Gridl, Head of division North africa,Near and Middle east at the German FederalMinistry for economics and technology, visitedafghanistan from 5th to 7th October 2012 in order tolearn about business opportunities. after the meet-ing with H.e. rüdiger König, German ambassadorto afghanistan, the delegation attended the “afghan-German Business Matchmaking Conference”, whichhad been organized by the afghanistan Chamber ofCommerce and industry and hosted more then 100attendees from the afghan private sector.

H.H. Prince abdulaziz bin abdullah bin abdulaziz,deputy Minister of Foreign affairs of the Kingdom ofSaudi arabia and Chairman of the Board of trustees



afghan-German Business Matchmaking Conference organised by the afghanChamber of Commerce and industry (aCCi); Presentation by dr. rudolf Gridl,Head of the German business delegation, Head of division North africa, Nearand Middle east, German Federal Ministry of economics and technology

of the international award for translation, and H.e.Klaus Wowereit, Governing Mayor of Berlin, pre-sented the award for the ‘5th King abduallahinternational award for translation’, an event whichtook place on 8th October 2012 in Berlin and hadbeen organized in cooperation with the FreeUniversity of Berlin. the award is an important con-tribution in promoting intercultural exchange.

the German Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology in Berlin hosted the ‘1st German-Moroccan Joint Commission’ on 24th October 2012.among others, the event was attended by H.e.abdelkader amara, Moroccan Minister of trade,industry and New technologies. together with H.e.dr. Pilipp rösler, Federal Minister of economics andtechnology H.e. abdelkader amara emphasized theimportance of the commission in order to strength-ening bilateral relations.

after the reconstruction of the embassy of therepublic of turkey in Berlin, the official opening cer-emony took place on 30th October 2012. On theoccasion of the event, the Prime Minister of therepublic of turkey, H.e. recep tayyip erdogan vis-ited Germany. He also met H.e. dr. GuidoWesterwelle, German Federal Foreign Minister, H.e.Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of the Federalrepublic of Germany and Honorary Chairman ofNUMOV, and Chancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany, H.e. angela Merkel. Main topics were the



H.e. Klaus Wowereit, Governing Mayor ofBerlin and H.H. Prince abdulaziz binabdullah bin abdulaziz, deputy Minister ofForeign affairs of the Kingdom of Saudiarabia

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of the Federal republic of Germanyand Honorary Chairman of NUMOV and H.e. recep tayyip erdoğan, PrimeMinister of the republic of turkey, together with former Premier of PakistanShaukat aziz and Nicolas Berggruen

new challenges for europe and to further strength-ening turkish-German relations.

On 12th November 2012, the conference “MarketOpportunities, Financial instruments, and legalFrameworks for Business activities in the Near andMiddle east” was held in Cologne. the event was

organized by NUMOV, the deutsche investitions -und entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (deG) andthe european Bank for reconstruction anddevelopment and presented by Stephan Hallmann,ZdF correspondent and Member of the Board oftrustees of the German Orient-Foundation.

Saudi Build 2012’ took place from 11th to 14th

November 2012 in riyadh, the 24th edition of theannual trade fair. Contributing nearly 40 exhibitors,Germany – a traditional powerhouse of the exhibi-tion – boasted the second largest national represen-tation, second only to China. the German FederalMinistry for economics and technology organisedthe German pavilion, whose official informationstand was supported by NUMOV.

the “Mega Projects in the Near and Middle east”conference, organized by NUMOV, took place on the19th November 2012. Martin Marsmann, Head ofinternational Business at UniCredit Bank aG, wel-comed the over 90 participations. H.e. dieter Haller,German ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudiarabia, emphasized the opportunities for Germancompanies to get involved in Saudi arabian projects



f.l.t.r.: Stephan Hallmann, ZdF (German television broadcaster), and Member ofthe Board of trustees of the German Orient-Foundation; andrea isphording,Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers aG; Gerdpeter von Guretzky-Cornitz, Head of Financial Services, SMS Siemag aG

Participants of the conference

German pavillion at the international fair Saudi Build 2012 in riyadh

and dr. Chedet Baykal, Commercial attaché at theMunich Consulate General of the republic ofturkey, presented the upcoming projects, focusingon renewable energy and pipeline projects, inturkey. thereafter, Christian Krause, Member of theManagement Board at HOCHtieF Solutions aG, dr.Hartmut Huber, director Sales instrumentation,Controls and electrical in the energy Sector ofSiemens aG, Matthias Brunnhuber of arcelorMittaland Murad dumbali, tÜV SÜd auto Service GmbH,shared they experiences with mega projects in theNear and Middle east region.

the 3rd Kuwait-German Joint Commission was heldon the 28th November 2012 in Berlin. the speechesfrom H.e. anne ruth Herkes, State Secretary atthe German Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology, H.e. abdulaziz Mashaan al-Khaldi,Undersecretary at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Commerceand industry and Niko Warbanoff, CeO of dBinternational GmbH and Member of the Board ofNUMOV contributed high value to the event, whichwas also attended by a Kuwaiti delegation consist-ing of representatives from different ministries.

the 91st länderforum, held on 30th November 2012in Berlin, was focused on iraq. dr. rudulf Gridl,



f.l.t.r.: dr. Harald Watzek, Head ofinternational Business for Southern Bavariaat UniCredit Bank aG; H.e. dieter Haller,German ambassador to the Kingdom ofSaudi arabia; Martin Marsmann, Head ofinternational Business at UniCredit Bank aG;dr. Cevdet Baykal, Commercial attaché atthe Munich Consulate General of therepublic of turkey

f.l.t.r.: Markus Potzel, Head of division Near and Middle east at the GermanFederal Foreign Office; Hans-Werner ehrenberg, Member of the GermanParliament; H.e. Brita Wagener, German ambassador to the republic of iraq;Helene rang, CeO and dp. Chairperson of NUMOV; dr. rudolf Gridl, Head ofdevision North africa, Near and Middle east at the Federal Minstry of economicsand technology; dr. Klaus Hachmeier, Northern africa and Middle east divisionat the German Federal Ministry of economics and technology

Participants of the conference in Munich

responsible for the MeNa region at the FederalMinistry for economics and technology, welcomedthe guests, among them H.e. Britta Wagner,German ambassador to the republic of iraq, asguest of honour.

On the occasion of the World Future energy Summit(WFeS) 2013, a German delegation, headed byJürgen Sander, CeO of VeM motors GmbH andMember of the Board of NUMOV, visited abu dhabifrom 14th-18th January. Being part of the opening cer-emony was only one of several activities the delega-tion joined during the trip. the participations alsomet with representatives of MaSdar, the abu dhabiNational Oil Company, the abu dhabi Municipality aswell as the Chamber of Commerce and the abudhabi Water and electricity authority. the trip wasrounded off with a visit to the Ministry ofenvironment and Water and further meeting withhigh ranking personalities.

in order to inform about Pakistan’s enormous agri-cultural potential and opportunities for German firms,the embassy of the republic of Pakistan organisedtogether with NUMOV the ‘German Pakistan Forum’on 18th January 2013 in Berlin. the event was mod-erated by Martin Bay, deputy Chairman of NUMOV,and consisted of various experienced speakersincluding H.e. abdul Basit, ambassador of theislamic republic of Pakistan to Germany; Viqar



2013

Meeting at the abu dhabi Municipality withH.e. eng. Salah al Sarraj, acting executivedirector town Planning Sector (third from theleft), and raimund Kamp, Counselor fortransport, Building and Urban developmentat the German embassy in abu dhabi (firston the right)

f.l.t.r.: dr. azgarkhil Mangal, Managing director of Mangal transport & ShippingGmbH; lukas Wrede, Senior Sales director deM GmbH; Jürgen Sander, CeOVeM motors GmbH, Head of the delegation and Member of the Board ofNUMOV; H.e. Peter altmeier, German Federal Minister for the environment,Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety; Martin Haagen, Business developmentManager MeNa industrial Solar GmbH

Khilji, economic Counsellor at the Pakistaniembassy in Berlin and Muhammed riazuddin,director General of Sindh Board of investment. Onthe German site, H.e. dr. Gerd Müller, StateSecretary of the German Federal Ministry of Food,agriculture and Customer Protection referred to themeeting as a symbolic event for Pakistani-Germanrelations.

On 29th January 2013 the 8th NUMOV German –Middle east Business round table was visited byseveral participations in the BHF-BaNK aG buildingin Frankfurt/Main. High ranking personalities fromBHF BaNK aG as well as from Ferrostahlindustrieanlagen GmbH, deugro Middle east anddB international GmbH were contributing with usefulinformation to the event.

On 6th March 2013 deputy Prime Minister of therepublic of turkey, H.e. Bülent arınç, presentedturkey’s Vision 2023 at an event hosted by theKonrad- adenauer-Stiftung in Berlin. Vision 2023outlines the goals turkey wishes to achieve by itscentennial year as a republic.

On 26th March 2013, a conference about the fiscaland legal frameworks and state guarantees for theNear and Middle east was arranged by NUMOV.the event took place at the premises of eulerHermes deutschland aG in Hamburg. the participa-



f.l.t.r.: Martin Bay, deputy Chairman ofNUMOV; H.e. abdul Basit, the Pakistaniambassador to Germany; H.e. dr. GerdMüller, State Secretary of the GermanFederal Ministry of Food, agriculture andCustomer Protection; Michael Wiedman,Vice President of Metro group

f.l.t.r.: dr. Hussain al anbuge, General Councel at the iraqi Commission; MarcNeumann, Member of the Board of NUMOV, Managing director of Ferrostaalindustrieanlagen GmbH; Nico Warbanoff, Member of the Board of NUMOV,Chairman of the Board of Managing directors of dB international GmbH; Sigridassmann, Head of Financial institutions and Syndication at BHF-BaNK aG;Philipp luehrs, Member of the Board of the German Orient-Foundation, regionalVice President of deugro Middle east; Fatih Botan, erbil Chamber of Commerceand industry

Participants of the Business round table

dr. thomas Wülfing, Wülfing Zeuner rechellawyer assocation; Burkhardt Müller-Sönksen, Member of the German Parliament

tions were provided with in-depth information givenby experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers aG, alMarkaz law Firm in Kuwait, Wülfing Zeuner rechellawyer association, airpas aviation aG and from theGerman Parliament, Burkhardt Müller Sönksen,Member of the Board of trustees of the GermanOrient-institute as well.

On 12th april 2013 H.e. dr. Philipp rösler, GermanVice Chancellor and Federal Minister of economicsand technology, met with H.e. taner Yildiz, turkishMinister of energy, to open the German turkishenergy Forum in ankara. together with a businessdelegation of leading companies from the energysector, H.e. dr. Philipp rösler also met with severalrepresentatives from turkish authorities.

‘the 9th German – emirati economic Commission’was held on 19th april 2013 in Berlin. H.e. dr. Philipprösler, German Vice Chancellor and FederalMinister of economics and technology, together withH.e. Sultan bin Saeed al Mansouri, economyMinister of the Uae, opened the event, which wereattended by a delegation from the Uae. erichStaake, CeO of duisburger Hafen aG and Memberof the Board of NUMOV, held a welcome address onbehalf of the German representatives.

a Moroccan delegation visited Berlin from 21st-26th

april 2013. the group was headed by H.e. ahmedZaidi, Chairman of the parliamentary group of theSocialist Union of Popular Forces in the House ofrepresentatives. the delegation also met with rep-resentatives of NUMOV.

From 22nd – 26th april 2013, NUMOV, on behalf of theGerman Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology, welcomed a libyan delegation in Berlin.in order to learn about German technology andKnow-how in the solar sector, the delegation alsovisited Magdeburg and Halle. additionally, the dele-gation was able to establish business relations with



H.e. dr. Philipp rösler meets H.e. Sultan binSaeed al Mansouri

H.e. ahmed Zaidi, Helene rang and theMoroccan delegation

German companies and exchange ideas with themas well as with political and scientific representatives.

the seminar on business opportunities and financ-ing issues in turkey, organised by NUMOV togetherwith Bundesverband deutscher Banken, were heldon 30th april 2013 in Berlin. dr. Hans-JoachimMassenberg, Member of the executive Board ofBundesverband deutscher Banken, held the open-ing address. among the speakers were marketexperts like dr. Wolf-ruthart Born, former StateSecretary and Member of the Board of trustees ofthe German Orient-Foundation and the investmentSupport and Promotion agency (iSPat); Helgetolksdorf, Head of division – eU enlargement,Southeast europe and turkey in the FederalMinistry of economics and technology. an overviewabout the legal framework was given by dr. MehmetKöksal, lawyer at Köksal Partnership istanbul.

On 7th May 2013, the ‘3rd German-algerian JointCommission took place in Berlin. among the leadingfigures present, H.e. anne ruth Herkes, StateSecretary at the Federal Ministry of economics andtechnologies, and H.e. dr. Cherif rahmani, algerianMinister of industry, Small and Medium-Sizedenterprises and investment Promotion.

On 13th May 2013, NUMOV organised an event onthe infrastructure in algeria, Morocco and tunisia.the first speeches were held by countries’ambassadors to Germany: H.e. Madjid Bouguerra,



f.l.t.r.: lucius Mayer-tasch, GiZ; dr. Gerald Bumharter, aBC international Bankplc and Chairman of the German Orient-Foundation; abdulwahab elmsherghi,Ministry of electricity and renewable energy of libya; Bashir M. M. Massli,Chargé d'affaires, libyan embassy to Germany; Heiko Wildner, Federal Ministryof economics and technology of Germany; Udo Volz, Federal Foreign Office ofGermany

H.e. dr. Chérif rahmani, algerian Ministerof industry, Small and Medium -Sizedenterprises and investment Promotion andHelene rang, CeO of NUMOV

algeria’s ambassador to Germany; H.e. OmarZniber, ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco toGermany, and tunisia’s ambassador to Germany,H.e. elyes Ghariani. thereafter the attendees wereprovided with the newest information and potentialchanges by high – ranking representatives fromGerman Ministries, Financial institutions and privatefirms, likewise the Maghreb side were representedby officials from the government.

the annual ‘NUMOV Near and Middle east Gala2013’ was held on 3rd June within the premises ofdeutsche Bank in Berlin. H.e. Gerhard Schröder,former Chancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany and NUMOV’s honorary chairman, wel-comed the guests with an opening speech and



f.l.t.r.: dr. rudolf Gridl, Head of division of North africa, Near and Middle east,German Federal Ministry of economics and technology, H.e. Sami Zegueb,tunisian Ministry of transport, Wolfgang reuß, Head of North africa and Middleeast department at KfW banking group, dr. rainald Steck, retired ambassador,Member of the NUMOV advisory Board, H.e. Madjid Bouguerra, ambassador toGermany of the People’s republic of algeria, H.e. elyes Ghariani, ambassadorto Germany of the republic of tunisia, H.e. Omar Zniber, ambassador toGermany of the Kingdom of Morocco, rachid eddouks, Moroccan investmentdevelopment agency, Udo Schoele, directorate General for external economicPolicy of the German Federal Ministry of economics and technology

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of the Federal republic of Germanyand NUMOV’s honorary chairman

f.l.t.r.: dr. rainer Seele, Chairman of theBoard of Wintershall Holding GmbH, H.e.Gerhard Schröder, former Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany and NUMOV’shonorary Chairman and erich Staake, chair-man of the Board of duisport aG

greeted the new chairman of NUMOV, dr. rainerSeele, Chairman of the Board of Wintershall andsuccessor of Bernd romanski, whom H.e. GerhardSchröder thanked for his outstanding work. Berndromanski will continue his commitment to NUMOVas deputy Chairman. Furthermore, H.e. GerhardSchröder mentioned a number of issues in theMiddle east which require Germany’s concern andemphasizes NUMOV’s great importance to strength-ening relation between Germany and the regions’countries.

Previously, the ‘NUMOV annual Member Meeting’took place on the morning of 3rd June 2013. Berndromanski, deputy Chairman of the Board, wel-comed the attending members and gave a report onNUMOV’s activities in 2012. among other topics,Bernd romanski introduced the new BoardMembers: dr. rainer Seele, Chairman of the Boardof Wintershall Holding GmbH; dr. Christoph Beier,deputy Chairman of the Board of deutscheGesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit(GiZ) GmbH; Gareth Griffiths, Member of the Boardof e.ON Global Commodities Se; armin Pappberger,Chairman of the Board of rheinmetall aG; Phillipreimnitz, divisional Member of the Board ofUniCredit Bank aG; and Niko Warbanoff, Chairmanof the Board of dB international GmbH. dr. thomasWülfing from the German Middle east lawyersassociation was also presented as a new Member ofthe advisory Board of NUMOV.

On 4th June 2013 the first ‘German Middle eastYoung Professionals Meeting’ was held. the eventwas organised by the Junior Section of NUMOV incooperation with dB international GmbH in order tosupport young professionals from NUMOV’s mem-ber companies to strengthen professional and per-sonal partnerships. the attendees were welcomedby Niko Warbanoff, CeO of dB international aG andMember of the Board of NUMOV, alina Membrey,Chairman of the Junior Section of NUMOV and the



f.l.t.r.: erich Staake, chairman of the Boardof duisport aG, H.e. Madjid Bouguerra,ambassador to Germany of the People’srepublic of algeria, Günter Gloser, FormerMinister of State and President of the Boardof trustees at the German Orient-Foundationand H.e. elyes Ghariani, ambassador toGermany of the republic of tunisia

dr. rainer Seele, Chairman of the Board ofWintershall Holding GmbH, H.e. SenussiKwideer, libyan ambassador to the Federalrepublic of Germany


moderator, dr. Nicolas raabe, Board Member ofthe NUMOV Junior Section. Subsequently severalhigh-ranking personalities spoke about differentissues.

a seminar on the automotive supply industry inMorocco was organised by NUMOV on 18th June2013 in Stuttgart. Several speakers from Moroccanand German ministries as well as representativesfrom PricewaterhouseCoopers aG presented infor-mation for the participations in order to support themarket entrance for small and medium-sizedGerman companies (SMe).

the annual ‘european Middle eastern Conference2013‘, held by NUMOV, took place on 3rd July inBerlin. Bernd romanski, deputy Chairman ofNUMOV, and dr. Marzenna Guz-Vetter from the eUCommission in Berlin held a welcome address.Starting with the european external action Service(eeaS), alexandra thein, Member of the europeanParliament, stated that the eeaS still has a long wayto go. Christian Berger, director for several countriesfor the eeaS, highlighted the requirements to deal



Niko Warbanoff, CeO of dBinternational aG and Memberof the Board of NUMOV


f.l.t.r.: Markus Potzel, Head of the Middle east division of the German FederalForeign Office, dr. rudolf Gridl, Head of division of North africa, Near andMiddle east at the German Federal Ministry of economics and technology,alexandra thein, Member of the european Parliament, Bernd romanski, deputyChairman of NUMOV, Christian Berger, director for North africa, Middle east,arabian Peninsula, iran and iraq for the eeaS, Ulrich Benterbusch, director ofenergy Policy at the international energy agency in Paris and Gareth Griffiths,Member of the Board of e.ON Global Commodities and Member of the Board ofNUMOV

with arab States. dr. rudolf Gridl, Federal Ministry ofeconomics and technology, and Markus Potzel fromthe Federal Foreign Office provided information onimportant topics. Ulrich Benterbusch, director ofenergy Policy at the international energy agency inParis, and Gareth Griffiths, Member of the Board ofe.ON Global Commodities and Member of theBoard of NUMOV, delivered a speech on futuretrends and experiences in the Near and Middleeastern region.

the ‘Project lebanon 2013’ exhibition, the 18th edi-tion of the international Construction tradeexhibition for lebanon & Middle east, took place inBeirut from 4th-7th July 2013. More than 700 compa-nies participated in this event, among them eightGerman firms with a joint pavilion supported byNUMOV.

On 5th July 2013, the first ‘afghan-German resourcedialogue’ was held under the patronage of theGerman Federal Ministry of economic Cooperationand development in cooperation with NUMOV andthe German Society for international Cooperation(GiZ).

Held in Brussels on 11th September 2013, the event‘activities and Projects of the european Commissionin the Near and Middle east’ offered members of



f.l.t.r.: H.e. Prof. dr. abdul rahman ashraf, ambassador of the islamic republicof afghanistan; dr. rudolf Gridl, German Federal Ministry of economics andtechnology; Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV, dr. Martin Schuldes, GermanFederal Ministry of economic Cooperation and development; H.e. WahidullahShahrani, Minister of Mines, Oil and Gas of the islamic republic of afghanistan;H.e. Gudrun Kopp, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry foreconomic Cooperation and development; H.e. dr. Omar Zakhilwal, Minister ofFinance of the islamic republic of afghanistan; Martin Jäger, Germanambassador-designate to the islamic republic of afghanistan

NUMOV a first-hand insight into the process ofaccessing foreign aid grants and tenders offered bythe european Commission. thereafter, the eventprovided the participants with an insight into theorganizational structure of the european Union.Prof. dr. Michael Köhler, ‘Neighbourhood’ directorin the directorate General for developmentand Cooperation-europeaid of the europeanCommission and Member of the Board of trusteesof the German Orient-Foundation, provided theparticipants with further information. For companieswishing to participate in eU foreign aid programmes,knowledge about the sectors predominantlypromoted by the eU as well as the rules and proce-dures of eU tenders and grants is of great impor-tance.

On initiative of NUMOV, a tunisian delegation visit-ed Germany from 27th-30th October 2013 to attendthe event ‘edP & telecommunication in tunisia’ inBerlin and Saxony. after a warm welcome fromGünter Gloser, Former Minister of State andPresident of the Board of trustees at the GermanOrient-Foundation and H.e. elyes Ghariani,ambassador of the republic of tunisia to ofGermany, informative reports were given by Prof. dr.Karl Jonas from Frauenhofer institute; dr. OrtwinWohlrab from Netfox aG; Heiko Wildner from theFederal Ministry of economics and technology, andMarkus Wartha from Power Providing GmbH.Furthermore the speeches were completed by sev-eral experts on the topic.

the ‘92nd NUMOV länderforum Focus libya’ wereheld on the premises of Wintershall Holding GmbHin Kassel on 27th September 2013. Welcoming the



Professor. dr. Michael Köhler,‘Neighbourhood’ director inthe development and Coope-ration-europeaid directorate-General (dG deVCO) of theeuropean Commission andMember of the Board oftrustees of the GermanOrient-Foundation

f.l.t.r.: Beyram Helal, Oxia Group, tunisia, dr.Ortwin Wohlrab, Netfox aG, Heiko Wildner,German Federal Ministry of economicsand technology, H.e. elyes Ghariani,ambassador of the republic of tunisia toGermany, Günter Gloser, Former Minister ofState and President of the Board of trusteesat the German Orient-Foundation

Participants of the 92nd NUMOV Focus libya in Kassel

participants, dr. rainer Seele, Chairman of theBoard of Wintershall Holding GmbH and Chairmanof the Board of NUMOV, provided the attendees withWintershall’s experiences in libya. H.e. Sönkelorenz, deputy ambassador of the Federal republicof Germany to libya, outlined the current politicaland economic situation in the country.

the ‘infra Oman’ exhibition took place in Muscatfrom 20th September – 2nd October 2013. among theover 140 exhibitors, NUMOV was present with ajoint stand.

On 8th October 2013, NUMOV organised a confer-ence on the energy and environmental sector inalgeria in Berlin. the event was led by MarcNeumann, Managing director of Ferrostaal aG andMember of the Board of NUMOV. H.e.Boumedienne Mahi, Chargé d’affaires of theembassy of the People’s republic of algeria toGermany, and Mounir Bourouba, both outlined theimportance of German-algerian relations. the legalframework was represented by Marcel trost, fromWülfing, Zeuner, rechel (WZr).

From 23rd-26th September, the ‘Big 4 Show rebuildlibya 2013’ took place in libya’s capital tripoli forthe fourth time. among 100 exhibitors, NUMOV pre-sented itself with a joint stand.

the ‘Saudi Build’ exhibition took place in riyadhfrom 4th-7th November 2013 and counted 873exhibitors and 23,000 visitors. 38 German compa-nies were present at the German pavilion andNUMOV was delegate the task of providing Saudivisitor with recent developments on the Germanmarket. Hosted by H.e. abdullah al-Muqbil, Mayor ofthe Saudi capital riyadh, NUMOV – together withother German exhibitors and the Messe Stuttgartinternational – was presented with an award at the25th anniversary celebration.



f.r.t.l.: H.e. Hans-Christian Freiherr vonreibnitz, German ambassador to the Sultanateof Oman, in talks with Björn Hennings

f.l.t.r.: Mounir Bourouba, algerian economicattaché; H.e. Boumedienne Mahi, Chargéd’affaires of the embassy of the People’srepublic of algeria to Germany and MarcNeumann, Managing director of FerrostaalGmbH and Member of the Board of NUMOV

award ceremony at the Saudi Build 2013with the mayor of riyadh H.e. abdullah al-Muqbil

On behalf of the Federal German Ministry ofeconomics and technology, NUMOV organised anevent on the water management in the GCC Statesand Jordan on 18th November 2013. dr. tillmanrudolf Braun from the Federal German Ministry ofeconomics and technology opened the event andunderlined great trade opportunities in this region.Several speakers from private companies as well asfrom organisations and from ministries shared theirexperiences and expertise. Both German expertsand guests from the region made the panel appeal-ing to the audience.

a conference on opportunities for German participa-tion in Near and Middle eastern Mega Projects washeld on 21st November 2013 in Frankfurt on initiativeof NUMOV and the europe arab Bank. achimKlüber, Member of the Board of the europe arabBank, warmly welcomed the participations. due tohigh-ranking representatives from the public and pri-vate sector, the event provided the guests withessential information. Speeches were given by sev-eral German ambassadors to countries in the Gulfregion; representatives from German ministries aswell as from German companies. Joachim enenkel,Member of the executive Board of Bilfinger Se andMember of the Board of NUMOV, outlined the four



Participants of the Seminar on water management in the GCC States and Jordan

f.l.t.r.: dr. amer Mokbel, WilO S.e.; dr. tillmann rudolf Braun, German FederalMinistry of economics and technology (BMWi); Martin Bay, MB Zeppelin anddep. Chairman of NUMOV; Khaldon H. Khashman, Secretary General of arabCountries Water Utilities association (aCWUa); dr. ali M. abbad al-Herabi,embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia; Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV

key markets of the GCC economics: oil and gas;power plants, infrastructure as well as water supplyand waste water management.

On 28th November 2013, NUMOV invited its mem-bers for the Oman Business roundtable in Berlin.H.e. Khalid abdul rahman Ba Omar, ambassador ofthe Sultanate of Oman to Germany, opened theevent and pointed out Oman’s investment opportu-nities. Faris al Farsi, director of the Public authorityfor investment Promotion and export development(PaiPed) of the Sultanate of Oman, gave anoverview how the PaiPed supports foreigninvestors.

On 17th december 2013, the German Orient-institutein cooperation with the German academic exchangeService (daad) invited junior researchers fromYemen and Germany to meet in Berlin to shareexperiences and exchange ideas. Prof. dr. Mathiasrohe, Vice-President of the Board of trustees of theGerman Orient-institute, and ahmed Saif from the



f.l.t.r.: H.e. angelika renate Storz-Chakarji, German ambassador to the State ofQatar; achim Klüber, Managing director of Corporate & institutional Bankingeurope arab Bank; Joachim enenkel, Member of the Board of NUMOV andMember of the executive Board of Bilfinger Se; Philipp lührs, Member of theBoard of the German Orient-institute and Vice President of deugro Middle east;H.e. eugen Wollfarth, German ambassador to the State of Kuwait; MichaelOhnmacht, Head of the Political Unit at the German embassy to the Kingdom ofSaudi-arabia

Faris al Farsi, director of the Public authorityfor investment Promotion and exportdevelopment of the Sultanate of Oman, (l.)and H.e. Khalid Sulaiman ‘abdul rahmanBa Omar, ambassador of the Sultanate ofOman in Germany


Sheba Center for Strategic Studies held the openingspeeches. thereafter, a range of speakers, comingfrom German or Yemeni institutions, shared theirexpertise with the young participants at the event.

NUMOV organised a business delegation, led byH.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany and HonoraryChairman of NUMOV, to the State of Qatar, theUnited arab emirates and the Kingdom of Saudiarabia from 11th - 15th January 2014.

the participants comprised of members of the boardof NUMOV. in doha, the delegation was welcomedby H.e. Sheikh Mohammed bin ahmed bin Jassim althani, former Minister of economy and Commerceand by H.e. dr. Mohammed Saleh al-Sada, Ministerof industry and energy of the State of Qatar.

at their second stop in abu dhabi, H.e. GerhardSchröder held an informal talk with H.H. Mohammedbin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of abu dhabiand deputy Supreme Commander of the Uaearmed Forces. the delegation came together withseveral personalities from ministries and businessesor banks.

the final destination was the capital of the Kingdomof Saudi arabia, riyadh.

Here, the delegation met H.H. Salman bin abdulazizal Saud, Crown Prince, Vice Custodian of the twoHoly Mosques, First deputy Prime Minister and



2014

H.e. abdullah bin Hamad al attiyah,President of Qatar adminstrative Control andtransparency authority and internationalBoard Member of NUMOV and H.e. GerhardSchröder, Honorary Chairman of NUMOV

Participants of the delegation

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Honorary Chairmanof NUMOV meets H.H. Sheikh Mohammedbin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of abudhabi and deputy Supreme Commander ofthe Uae armed Forces

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Honorary Chairmanof NUMOV meets H.e. Sheikh Nahyan binMubarak al Nahyan, Minister of Culture,Youth and Community development, Uae

Minister of defense of the Kingdom of Saudi arabia.thereafter, the delegation was welcomed at theGovernor’s Palace by H.H. Prince Khalid bin Bandarabdulaziz al Saud, the governor of the riyadhprovince and the Vice Governor H.e. Prince turkibin abdullah. H.H. Prince al Waleed bin talal binabdulaziz al Saud, Chairman of Kingdom Holdingwelcomed the delegation as well as H.e. eng.Mubarak a. al-Khafrah, Co Chairman of the Saudi-German Business dialogue.

On 23rd January 2014, NUMOV held its 93rd

länderforum, with a focus on egypt, in the premisesof rWe dea aG in Hamburg. H.e. Michael Bock,German ambassador to the republic of egypt,underlined the importance of German-egyptiancooperation. dirk Warzecha, rWe dea aG providedthe participants with an insight into the situation inegypt.



H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Honorary Chairmanof NUMOV and H.H. Salman bin abdulaziz alSaud, Crown Prince, Vice Custodian of thetwo Holy Mosques, First deputy PrimeMinister and Minister of defense of theKingdom of Saudi arabia

H.H. Prince al Waleed bin talal bin abdulazizal Saud, Chairman of Kingdom Holding, H.e.Gerhard Schröder, Honorary Chairman ofNUMOV

f.l.t.r.: dirk Warzecha, Member of the executive Board of rWe dea; H.e. MichaelBock, the German ambassador to the republic of egypt; Helene rang, CeO ofNUMOV; Christoph Schlichter, Senior Vice President Production North africarWe dea aG; Nora Habib-Sadek, Ministry of economics affairs and energy

abdul raouf al Bitar, CeO of industrial development Company (idC); H.e. eng.Mubarak a. al-Khafrah, Co-Chairman of the Saudi-German-Business-dialogue,Member of the international Board of NUMOV and Chairman of the Board at theNational industrialization Company (tasnee); H.e. Gerhard Schröder, FormerChancellor of the Federal republic of Germany, Honorary Chairman of NUMOV;H.e. dieter Haller, German ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi arabia;rasheed alrasheed, CeO of aCWa Holding and Joachim enenkel, Co-Chairmanof the Saudi-German-Business-dialogue, Member of the Board of NUMOV andMember of the Board at Bilfinger Se (f.l.t.r.)

On 11th March 2014 NUMOV, the German Near andMiddle east association, organised the GermanMiddle east Business Conference in Munich, hostedon the premises of the Unicredit Bank aG.

Following the opening remarks by the host Phillippreimnitz, divisional Board Member of the UnicreditBank aG and Member of the Board of NUMOV,abdulkarim Osman, Member of the Board of theerbil Chamber of Commerce and industry as well as

dr. Khairy agha, Chairman of the renewableenergy authority of libya, introduced their areas ofexpertise. afterwards ali eren, Member of the Boardof directors of the istanbul Chamber of industrygave a lecture on infrastructure in turkey, followedby Bassam Bamagous, President and CeO of alHaitam for industries & economic developmentdelivered an overview of the Saudi arabian market.

the conference was then concluded by dr. tillmanrudolf Braun from the German Federal Ministry ofeconomic affairs and energy and dr. thomasWülfing who reported about the Jebel ali Free Zonein dubai as the representative in Germany.



f.l.t.r.: dr. Khairy agha, Chairman of the renewable energy authority of libya;Phillip reimnitz, divisional Board Member at the UniCredit Bank aG, Member ofthe Board of NUMOV; abdulkarim Mustafa Othman, Member of the Board of theerbil Chamber of Commerce & industry; rebwar anwar, erbil Chamber ofCommerce & industry


On 20th March 2014, NUMOV, the German Near andMiddle east association, organised a conference,focussing on cooperation possibilities withthe european Bank for reconstruction anddevelopment (eBrd) regarding egypt, Jordan,tunisia and Morocco, with the Federal Ministry foreconomic affairs and energy and the eBrd.

the participants were welcomed by dr. eckhardFranz from the German Federal Ministry foreconomic affairs and energy; Joachim Schwarzer,alternate director for Germany at the eBrd Boardof directors and by Oliver Hermes, Member of theBoard of NUMOV, Chairman of the Board of WilOSe.



f.l.t.r.: dr. Peter thimme, deG, director for europe, Middle east, Central asia; dr. Michael reuss, Federal Foreign Office, deputy Head of division“transformation in the arab World”; Joachim Steffens, eBrd, alternate directorfor Germany; dr. eckhard Franz, Federal Ministry of economic affairs andenergy, Head of department for Foreign economic Policy; Joachim Schwarzer,eBrd Board of directors, director for Germany; Hildegard Gacek, eBrdManaging director SeMed-region


among the speakers were dr. Michael reuss fromthe German Federal Foreign Office and dr. Peterthimme from the deutsche entwicklungs-gesellschaft (deG).

On 31st March 2014, the German Orient-instituteorganised an informal event concentrating onafghanistan and the upcoming elections.

dr. ralf Brauksiepe, Parliamentary State Secretaryat the Federal Ministry of defence and Member of

the Board of trustees of the German Orient-Foundation, welcomed the participants and under-lined the improved situation in the country.afterwards.

dr. Gunter Mulack, ambassador (ret.) and director ofthe German Orient-institute presented his expertiseand detailed information about afghanistan’s pastand current situation and gave some possible futureoutlooks.

He also delivered an overview of the leading candi-dates in the upcoming elections, describing theirpolitical stances as well as their electoral chancesand desired objectives.

the guests also took the chance to ask questionsabout several issues regarding the country’s politicaland economic situation.



f.l.t.r.: dr. Gunter Mulack, ambassador (ret.) and director of the German Orient-institute; dr. ralf Brauksiepe, Parliamentary State Secretary at the FederalMinistry of defence and Member of the Board of trustees of the German Orient-Foundation; Helene rang, CeO and deputy Chairperson of NUMOV; dr. rainaldSteck, ambassador (ret.), Member of the NUMOV advisory Board

On 4th april 2014, the young diplomats held their tra-ditional meeting with the NUMOV Junior Section inBerlin to discuss current issues concerning theregion. the meeting was moderated by alinaMambrey, the chairperson of the NUMOV JuniorSection.

From 7th – 9th april, H.e. Mohammad rezaNematzadeh, iranian Minister of industry, Mine andtrade, visited the German Near and Middleassociation (NUMOV) in Berlin, accompanied by ahigh-ranking delegation. about 300 participantsattended the iranian-German Business Conferenceon 8th april.

the official delegation travelling with the ministeralso included: H.e. dr. reza rahmani, Head of theindustry and Mine Commission of the iranian parlia-ment; H.e. Mojtaba Khosrootaj, acting Minister ofindustry, Mine and trade and deputy Minister fordomestic trade; H.e. Mehdi Karbasian, deputyMinister of industry, Mine and trade and Presidentof iMidrO; H.e. Valyolah afkhami, deputy Minister



Participants of the irani Business Conference

f.l.t.r.: H.e. Mehdi Karbasian, deputy Ministerof industry, Mine and trade and Presidentof iMidrO; Burkhard dahmen, deputyChairman of NUMOV; H.e. Mohammadreza Nematzadeh, iranian Minister ofindustry, Mine and trade; H.e. ali rezaSheikh attar, iranian ambassador

Participants of the Junior Section Meeting

of industry, Mine and trade and President of tradePromotion Organization (tPO); aliashraf afkhami,Managing director of the Bank of industry and Mine;and Hossein Hajipoor, director of Minister’s Office.

the minister was also accompanied by a large busi-ness delegation.

this was the first business conference in Germanyto have focused on iran for many years, following theloosening of the sanctions and the re-establishmentof relations between european and asian countriesas well as between the US and iran.

H.e. Mohammad reza Nematzadeh also paid a visitto the honorary chairman of NUMOV and formerchancellor, H.e. Gerhard Schröder, in Hannover.there, the delegation also visited the world’s biggestindustrial fair, Hannover Messe.



H.e. Mohammad reza Nematzadeh, iranianMinister of industry, Mine and trade

Participants of the iranian Business Conference

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former Chancellor of the Federal republic of Germanyand Honorary Chairman of NUMOV and the iranian delegation

From 13th to 15th May 2014, NUMOV organised adelegation visit to erbil. the delegation was headedby Günther Mull, member of the Board of NUMOVand Managing director of dermalog identificationSystems GmbH. the companies, which participatedin the delegation, operate in a variety of sectors,from oil and gas to project planning, security, con-struction and logistics. H.e alfred Simms-Protz,Consul General of Germany to erbil, briefed the del-egation members on the current economic andsocial developments in erbil and the Kurdistanregion. Günther Mull also welcomed the delegationand gave a short introduction on NUMOV’s activitiesin this part of the Middle east. the delegation furthermet several ministers from erbil as well as the city’smayor, who, through his long stay in Germany, rep-resents a bridge between both countries. a visit tothe erbil building 2014 exhibition, in its eights edi-tion, rounded off the delegation trip. the NUMOVjoint stand was well attended and the delegation



f.l.t.r.: dr. rudolf Gridl, Ministry of economic affairs and energy, Günther Mull,Member of the Board of NUMOV and Managing director of dermalog, H.e.Soran aziz, Vice President of the erbil Chamber of Commerce and industry, andSaro dzayee, President of the Kurdistan Contractors Union’s erbil branch

Kurdish Minister of the interior H.e. abdul Karim Sultan Sinjari receives the del-egation and H.e. alfred Simms-Protz, Consul General in erbil (left)

NUMOV joint stand at the erbil Building

members were able to explore the other stands ofthe trade fair. it is of mutual interest to increaseGerman economic activity in erbil, and thus,NUMOV will continue to work on providing the basisand platform for businesses to meet and cooperate.

On 20th of May 2014, the members of NUMOV con-vened for their 2014 annual Meeting in Berlin. dr.rainer Seele, Chairman of NUMOV and Chairmanof the Board of Wintershall Holding GmbH, wel-comed the attending members. Burkhard dahmen,deputy Chairman as well as treasurer of NUMOVand Chairman of the Managing Board of SMSHolding GmbH, presented the financial NUMOV-results from the past years. dr. rainer Seele alsowelcomed and introduced the new members of theboard: Oliver Hermes, Chairman of the Board ofWilo Se, and tanja Gönner, Chair of theManagement Board of the deutsche Gesellschaft fürinternationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GiZ), whowere confirmed unanimously by the attending mem-bers. the first members of the newly introducedinternational Board will be the Co-Chairman of theSaudi-German Business dialogue, H.e. SheikhMubarak a. al-Khafrah, and the former Minister ofenergy and president of the Qatar administrativeControl and transparancy authority, H.e. abdullahBin Hamad al attiyah.



dr. rainer Seele, Chairman of NUMOV (middle) welcomes the members to theannual Meeting

H.e. eberhardt Pohl, German ambassador to turkey, in discussion with Helgetolksdorf, Ministry of economic affairs and energy, and participants of the event

On the following day, NUMOV held its 95th NUMOVländerforum in Berlin, with a special focus onturkey. H.e. eberhardt Pohl, German ambassadorto turkey, was the special guest of honor. Before around of questions, the ambassador gave an exten-sive and insightful summary of the economic andpolitical situation in turkey, concluding that turkey isa prime address for German companies. Helgetolksdorf from the Federal Ministry of economicaffairs and energy further gave a brief overviewabout the economic cooperation between Germanyand turkey.

June 2014 started with an exclusive meeting on theoccasion of the visit of the tunisian Prime Ministerand his high-ranking delegation that was organisedby NUMOV on the 17th June. H.e Mehdi Jomaa,Prime Minister of tunisia, thanked NUMOV for theinvitation and expressed his sincere hope for a suc-cessful visit. Vice Chancellor and Federal Ministerfor economic affairs and energy, H.e. SigmarGabriel, also received the tunisian Prime Minister inBerlin on the 19th June 2014, opening the German-tunisian economic Forum together with. theeconomic Forum brought together more than 220business and government representatives from bothGermany and tunisia.

in the same month, NUMOV held its round table dis-cussion event focusing on egypt after the presiden-tial elections on 25th June. the discussion waschaired by dr. Gunter Mulack, director of theGerman Orient-institute and retired ambassador ofthe Federal republic of Germany to Kuwait,Bahrain, Syria and Pakistan.

On 12th august 2014, young diplomats from egyptattended the long-established discussion roundhosted by the NUMOV Junior Section. the diplo-mats, originated from all over egypt, are currentlyattending the diplomatic program of the German



H.e. Mehdi Jomaa, Prime Minister oftunisia, is received by H.e. Sigmar Gabriel,Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister foreconomic affairs and energy

anwar e. el Sadat, President of the reformand development Misruna Party, withGunther Mulack, director of the GermanOrient-institute

Federal Office. the group was welcomed by alinaMambrey, Chairperson of the NUMOV JuniorSection, and the meeting was moderated bySebastian Sons, Head of the research Unit at theGerman Orient-institute. the delegation was led bythe German diplomat H.e. Bernd erbel, who was theGerman ambassador to egypt from 2006 until 2009.the young egyptian diplomats showed a keen inter-est in Germany and possibilities of bilateral cooper-ation.

On 8th September 2014 the celebration of NUMOV’s80th anniversary as well as the hosting of the annualGerman Near and Middle east economicConference at the German Federal Ministry foreconomic affairs and energy in Berlin took place.Having established and supported strong economicrelations between Germany and the Near andMiddle east in recent decades, NUMOV, its friendsand guests used the anniversary to look back on theassociation’s history as well as to strengthen thecommitment to existing and new business ties. theevent commenced with a speech by dr. rainerSeele, Chairman of NUMOV and Chairman of theBoard of Wintershall Holding GmbH.



the young egyptian delegates

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, FormerChancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany and Honorary Chairman ofNUMOV; H.e. Sigmar Gabriel, ViceChancellor and Minister for economicaffairs and energy

Subsequently, Honorary Chairman H.e. GerhardSchröder delivered his address. He referred toNUMOV as a bridge builder between Orient andOccident which has created trust and formed part-nerships, noting that the uprisings in the arab worldhave shown the influence the economic situationcan have on political stability in the region. H.e.Sigmar Gabriel, Vice Chancellor and Minister foreconomic affairs and energy of the Federalrepublic of Germany, followed up by pointing outthat NUMOV and the German Orient-institute, aswell as dr. rainer Seele and H.e. Gerhard Schröder,have done much to foster the relationships with theNear and Middle east. among the esteemed guestswere ambassadors, business leaders and importantpolitical figures. among the international guests, adelegation from erbil in the Kurdistan region ofNorthern iraq attended the event. the German Nearand Middle east economic Conference broughttogether influential business leaders, diplomats anddecision makers from Germany and the Near andMiddle east. H.e. Brigitte Zypries, ParliamentaryState Secretary of the German Federal Ministry foreconomic affairs and energy, welcomed the partici-pants. Subsequently, speeches were given byJoachim enenkel, Member of the Board of NUMOV,Co-Chairman of the Saudi-German Business



H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Former Chancellor of the Federal republic of Germanyand Honorary Chairman of NUMOV; dr. rainer Seele, Chairman of NUMOV andChairman of the Board of Wintershall Holding GmbH

H.e. Sigmar Gabriel, Vice Chancellorand Minister for economic affairs andenergy

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, FormerChancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany and Honorary Chairman ofNUMOV

dialogue and Member of the Board of Bilfinger Se,Oliver Kraft, Member of the executive Board ofHerrenknecht aG, and dr. Matthias Koehler, Head ofthe interministerial Committee for export CreditGuarantees at the German Federal Ministry foreconomic affairs and energy. the conference wasconcluded by dieter Bellé, Member of the Board ofNUMOV and Member of the Board of leONi aG.

in the same month, NUMOV organised visits for aPakistani delegation on solar and wind energy inPakistan, taking place in Hamburg and Berlinbetween 22nd and 26th September as part of therenewable energies export initiative of the GermanFederal Ministry of economic affairs and energy. On23rd September, the opening information event Solarand Wind energy in Pakistan took place inHamburg. dr. rainald Steck, ambassador (ret.) andMember of the advisory Board of NUMOV, openedthe presentation and information event with a wel-

come address, which was followed by a speech byH.e Syed Hasan Javed, ambassador of Pakistan toGermany. the event consisted of two successivesessions. Following the workshop, the delegationjourney program continued with the visit to theMinistry of economy, transport and innovation of theFree and Hanseatic City Hamburg. there, the dele-gation was greeted by Martin Köppen, Head of thedepartment for Business development,international Business relations and agriculture.the delegation then used the opportunity to visit the



f.l.t.r.: H.e. Brigitte Zypries, German FederalMinistry for economic affairs and energy, dr.rudolf Gridl, German Federal Ministry foreconomic affairs and energy, Joachimenenkel, Bilfinger Se and dara Jalilal/Khazat, erbil Chamber of Commerce andindustry

f.l.t.r.: dr. Stefan Oswald, German Federal Ministry for economic Cooperationand development, dr. rainald Steck, Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV,H.e. Syed Hasan Javed, ambassador of Pakistan to Germany, and Kora töpfer,export initiative for renewable energy

fair ‘Windenergy Hamburg’, which is the world’slargest wind energy exhibition. One of the highlightsof the delegation visits was the town of Feldheim,which has become completely energy self sufficientby using a mix of solar, wind, geothermal and otherrenewable energies. to conclude the visits a pre-sentation was held by ed-eNerGY GermanyGmbH, a full service company in the area of renew-able energy technologies.

On 22nd Septmeber NUMOV in cooperation withdeutsche Bahn international GmbH hosted anevent in Berlin on market development and busi-ness opportunities in the rail industry in selectedGGC states, with a special focus on Oman. thespeakers gave detailed information on currentprospects for the railway industry in the GCC,among them dr. Martin Herrenknecht, deputyChairman of NUMOV and Chairman ofHerrenkencht aG.

On 6th december 2014, a large German delegationof high-ranking business representatives from awide range of economic sectors embarked on a four-day visit to iran organised by NUMOV. the delega-tion was headed by Burkhard dahmen, deputyChairman of NUMOV and Spokesman of theManagement Board of SMS Holding GmbH, as wellas Helene rang, CeO and deputy Chairperson ofNUMOV. as the largest German business delegationto have been welcomed to iran in the past years,NUMOV and its iranian counterparts succeeded in



f.l.t.r.: andreas Wegerif, Member of the Board of dB international GmbH; dr.Martin Herrenknecht, deputy Chairman of NUMOV and Chairman ofHerrenkencht aG

holding many high level meetings with both the pri-vate as well as public sectors, thus, laying theground for post-sanctions economic cooperationwith iran while demonstrating that German compa-nies – and especially NUMOV members – remaincommitted to their long term business ties in iranduring the difficult business climate created by theeconomic sanctions against the country. the firstorder of business of the delegation was a visit to theiranian Ministry of industry, Mines and trade, wherethe entire delegation had the honour to personallymeet H.e. Mohammmad reza Nematzadeh,Minister of industry, Mines and trade, as well asmany of his deputies. For the next meeting, the del-egation was welcomed by H.e. dr. Mehdi Karbasian,deputy Minister and Chairman of the Board of theiran Mining and industrial development andrenovation Organization (iMidrO). the first day ofthe delegation came to a pleasant conclusion at aprivate reception of the group by Germanambassador to iran, H.e. Michael von Ungern-

Sternberg. in the morning of the second day, a meet-ing was arranged between H.e. Gholam HosseinShafei, President of the iranian Chamber ofCommerce, industries, Mines and agriculture (iCCi-Ma) and selected members of the delegation. thisexclusive visit was followed by an ‘iran-Germany



f.l.t.r.: H.e. eng. afkhami, deputy Minister and Chairman of the trade PromotionOrganization of iran (tPO); H.e. ali Majedi, ambassador of the i. r. of iran toGermany; H.e. eng. Nematzadeh, Minister of industry, Mines and trade of thei. r. of iran; Burkhard dahmen, deputy Chairman of NUMOV; Helene rang,CeO and deputy Chairperson of NUMOV

Meeting at the Ministry of Oil of the i. r. of iran

Business Forum“, to which members of the iCCiMawere invited. Subsequently, the delegation headedto the energy Ministry in order to meet with H.e.Houshang Fallahatian, deputy energy Minister ofthe islamic republic of iran. the next meeting tookplace at the headquarters of the NationalPetrochemical Company (NPC) of iran, where thedelegation had the honour of being received by H.e.abbas Sheri-Moqaddam, deputy Oil Minister, aswell as Mohammad Hassan Peyvandi, deputy CeOand Member of the Board of the NPC. the dayended with a meeting with eng. Mehdi Younesian,CeO of iran Khodro diesel (iKd), iran’s leading pro-ducer of commercial vehicles. the meeting wasattended by a high-ranking panel of iKd managersand offered valuable insights into the vast iranianautomobile industry. the delegation continued withanother day filled with meetings with high-ranking

representatives. the first order of the day was ameeting with the trade Promotion Organization(tPO) of iran, located at the permanent site of inter-national exhibitions in tehran. the next visit took thedelegation to the Bank of industry and Mines, whereit was welcomed by CeO eng. ali ashraf afkhami.the last stop before yet another splendid dinner invi-tation by the tPO was a meeting with eng. armoudli,CeO and Chairman of the Board of the renewableenergy Organization of iran (SUNa), where thedomestic iranian achievements in the field of renew-able energies were presented. the final day of theGerman business delegation started off with a visitto the Ministry of Communications andinfrastructure, where H.e. Mahmoud Khosravi,



f.l.t.r.: Helene rang, CeO and deputy Chairperson of NUMOV; Burkharddahmen, deputy Chairman of NUMOV and eng. ali ashraf afkhami, CeO of theBank of industry and Mines

deputy Minister, welcomed the group. the delega-tion then visited eleCOMP 2014, an exhibition onelectronics, computers and e-commerce, where thegroup was able to enjoy a short glimpse into the useof new technologies and media amongst the iranianyouth. the last meeting of the delegation was heldoutside of tehran at the headquarters of the Sociétéanonyme iranienne de Production automobile(SaiPa). the delegation succeeded in demonstrat-ing that German NUMOV member companies arenot only a friend during favourable conditions, butalso stay committed to business relationships duringmore difficult times, thus, establishing a comparativeadvantage to many other countries and companies.

Between 8th and 10th of december 2014, the forthsession of the German-Kuwait Joint Commissiontook place in Kuwait. German and Kuwaiti represen-tatives of several governmental authorities as wellas German companies and trade associationsattended the conference. the three-day programincluded presentations by German companies, B2Bbusiness meetings as well as a presentation with thetitle ‘doing Business in Kuwait –Opportunities,Challenge and approach’. Kuwait presented its‘development Plan from 2015 to 2019’ with the aimof pushing economic reforms and diversification.

From 11th to 12th January 2015, H. e. Prof. dr. ahmetdavutoğlu, Prime Minister of the republic of turkey,made his first official visit to Germany. He was wel-comed at the Federal Chancellery by H. e. dr.



German delegation at the Bank of industry and Mines

2015

angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal republicof Germany. While in Berlin, Prime Minister ahmetdavutoğlu and his wife Sare davutoğlu visited thefacilities of the new Yunus emre institute, located inKronenstraße 1 in Berlin Mitte, the very same build-ing as NUMOV’s new headquarters. He was accom-panied by H. e. Hüseyin avni Karslıoğlu,ambassador of the turkish repubic in Germany,and was welcomed, among others, by Prof. dr.Hayati develi, President of the Yunus emreinstitutes, Prof. dr. Faruk akyol, Head of the newBerlin branch of the Yunus emre institute, SuatBakır, CeO of the turkish-German Chamber ofindustry and Commerce, and Helene rang, CeO ofNUMOV.

Subsequently, NUMOV hosted the 96th

länderforum at its new NUMOV conference centrein Berlin on 16th January. after giving a brief wel-coming speech to the numerous participants fromboth the economic and political sector, Helenerang, CeO of NUMOV, introduced the newNUMOV conference centre as a meeting place,where economic and cultural relations betweenGermany and the countries of the Middle east canfurther be strengthened. at this year’sländerforum, NUMOV was proud to introduce H.e.dieter Haller, Head of the directorate General foreconomic affairs at the German Federal ForeignOffice, as well as dr. rudolf Gridl, Head of theMiddle east and North africa department at the



delegation headed by H.e. ahmet davutoğlu, Prime Minister of the republic ofturkey; Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV at the new premises of Yunus emreinstitute

H.e. ahmet davutoğlu, Prime Minister ofthe republic of turkey; Prof. dr. Farukakyol, deputy Chairperson of the Board ofGerman Orient-institute and Head of thenew Berlin branch of the Yunus emreinstitute

f.l.t.r.: dr. rudolf Gridl, Head of the Middleeast and North africa department at theFederal Ministry for economic affairs andenergy; H.e. dieter Haller, Head of thedirectorate General for economic affairs atthe German Federal Foreign Office; Helenerang, CeO of NUMOV

Federal Ministry for economic affairs and energyas the event’s special guests.

On 28th January 2015, the German Orient-instituteheld a panel discussion on the role of turkey in thecontext of the current islamic State (iS) conflict andthe Kurdish question. all in all, the panel discussionof the German Orient-institute pooled the valuableknowledge of various experts and interesting inputfrom the audience, enabling participants to refelcton the actual role of turkey from a range of differentperspecticves. the attending speakers were amongothers thomas Volk, who is Coordinator for islamand religious dialogue at the Konrad adenauerFoundation, dr. afzal ashraf, director ofPrivatismus Uk ltd., and ludwig Schulz, Head ofthe turkey department at the German Orient-institute.

Between 7th and 10th March, H.e. Sigmar Gabriel,Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of economicaffairs and energy, led a four-day economic dele-gation to Saudi-arabia, Qatar and the Uae todevelop economic ties and promote exports,accompanied by around 100 German businessleaders.

the trip was also an initiative of H.e. Schröder,Former Chancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany and Honorary Chairman, and dr. rainerSeele, Chairman of NUMOV and Chairman of theBoard of Wintershall Holding GmbH.

at the heart of this mission were two Jointeconomic Commissions as well as a small- andmedium seized enterprises meeting and talks withH.H. Salman bin abdulaziz al Saud, King of Saudiarabia and Custodian of the two Holy Mosques,with the Vice Chancellor being the first Germanminister to visit the Kingdom since the death ofthe King abullah in January.



f.l.t.r.: ludwig Schulz, Head of the turkeydepartment at the German Orient-institute;thomas Volk, Coordinator for islam and reli-gious dialogue at the Konrad adenauerFoundation; Johannes Selle, Member of theGerman Parliament; dr. afzal ashraf,director of Privatimus

H.e. Sigmar Gabriel, Vice Chancellor andFederal Minister for economic affairs andenergy; H.H. Salman bin abdulaziz alSaud, King of Saudi arabia and Custodianof the two Holy Mosques

H.e. Sigmar Gabriel, Vice Chancellor andFederal Minister for economic affairs andenergy; H.H. Sheikh tamim bin Hamad althani, emir of the State of Qatar

this successful international visit was the first ofH.e. Sigmar Gabriel to the region and was sym-bolic of the rising significance and flourishing rela-tionship between the German and Middle easterneconomies.

On 19th March, the conference on cooperationopportunities in turkey with the european Bank forreconstruction and development (eBrd) tookplace at the Federal Ministry for economy andenergy (BMWi) in cooperation with NUMOV.Participants from small- and mediumsized compa-nies, the BMWi, and the turkish embassy were ableto listen to presentations about eBrd investmentfunding that interested companies who want to startor enhance business in turkey can make use of.attending speakers, among others, were H.e. avniHüseyin Karslıoğlu, ambassador of the republic ofturkey to Germany, Michelle Müntefering, Memberof the German Parliament and President of theBoard of trustees of the German Orient Foundation,dr. Jürgen Friedrich, managing director of Germanytrade and invest and Wolf-dieter Plessing,Undersecretary of the Federal Ministry.

april began with NUMOV’s celebration of the officialopening of its new own premises at Kronenstraße 1,in Berlin’s government area. the presence of FormerChancellor and Honorary Chairman of NUMOV, H.e.Gerhard Schröder, added to the ceremonial nature ofthe event, which took place on 13th april, while manyother representatives from the German economicand political landscape attended the official opening.the event was preceded by the annual Members’Meeting, which was chaired by dr. rainer Seele,treasurer Burkhard dahmen and Helene rang, whowere able to present the most successful year inNUMOV’s 80 year history to its members. the officialceremony was opened with welcoming remarks byH.e. Gerhard Schröder. after the speech, Burkharddahmen reiterated the importance of NUMOV’songoing and eager work in such a volatile region.



f.l.t.r.: dr. rainer Seele, Chairman ofNUMOV; Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV;Burkhard dahmen, deputy Chairman ofNUMOV

f.l.t.r.: Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV;Joachim Steffens, alternate director forGermany of eBrd; H.e. Hüseyin avniKarslıoğlu, ambassador of the republic ofturkey in Germany

H.e. Sigmar Gabriel, Vice Chancellor andFederal Minister for economic affairs andenergy in a meeting with H.H. Mohammedbin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of abudhabi

Given that the building is currently hosting repre-sentatives of countries from the region, the open-ing ceremony also served as an invitation forNUMOV members to contribute to and join in theinternational atmosphere. in light of NUMOV’saspiration to make Kronenstraße 1 a gatheringplace where companies and delegates from theNear and Middle east can meet their Germancounterparts, the official opening ceremony hasbeen a great success.

in the same month, on 23rd april, NUMOV hostedan iraninan delegation led by Ghadir investmentGroup in order to renew the traditionally good



f.l.t.r.: H.e. ali Majedi, ambassador of the i.r. of iran to Germany; H.e. GerhardSchröder, Former Chancellor of the Federal republic of Germany, MichelleMüntefering, President of the German Orient-Foundation and Member of theFederal German Parliament

New own premises of NUMOV atKronenstraße 1 in the government area of Berlin

f.l.t.r.: dr. thomas Wülfing, Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV; H.e. aliMajedi, ambassador of the i.r. of iran to Germany; dr. Soleymani amiri,Managing director of Ghadir investment Company

relations between iran and Germany. the delega-tion was headed by dr. Gholamreza Soleymaniamiri, Managing director of Ghadir investmentCompany. a number of NUMOV members metwith the iranian delegation under the moderationof dr. thomas Wülfing, Member of the NUMOVadvisory Board, engaging in an open discussionabout the current restraints for doing businessand in bilateral talks on how to proceed macro-economic policy.

at the end of the month, the German Orient-instituteorganised a panel discussion on the current devel-opments in afghanistan, which was held on 28th april2015 and took place at the new NUMOV conferencecentre in Berlin. Special guest, H.e. Markus Potzel,German ambassador to afghanistan, gave an inter-esting and insightful overview of the challenges thatarose from the withdrawal of iSaF forces by the startof this year. Fuelled by the precise analysis put for-ward by H.e. Markus Potzel, the panel discussionsaw a vivid debate on the many aspects that willshape afghanistan’s future.

On 19th May, attended by almost 300 participants,NUMOV successfully hosted one of the largest inter-national business conferences on iran in recentyears in cooperation with its partner Germela inFrankfurt. despite the difficult business climate ofrecent years, NUMOV succeeded in arranging sev-eral high-level meetings with both the private andpublic sectors, thereby showing its commitment to afruitful iranian-German partnership. in the wake ofthe lausanne agreement on the iranian nuclear pro-gramme and iran’s prospective re-opening to theinternational community, the conference was thenext step in NUMOV’s ongoing support for a rap-prochement between iran and Germany. the con-ference was moderated by dr. thomas Wülfing,Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV andChairman of Germela. the conference participantswere welcomed with an opening address by dr.



H.e. Markus Potzel,German ambassador toafghanistan

Martin Herrenknecht, deputy Chairman of NUMOVand Chairman of Herrenknecht aG. His address wasfollowed by a speech by the iranian ambassador toGermany, H.e. ali Majedi. the subsequent speech-es were given by H.e. dieter Haller, directorGeneral for economic affairs and Sustainabledevelopment of the German Federal Foreign Office,Mohammad Peyvandi, Vice President of the iranianNational Petrochemical Company (NPC), Ulf

Herrlett, Vice President technology of air liquideGlobal e&C Solutions and issa Mashayekhi,Managing director and Board Member of NPCinternational ltd. dr. Mohammad akbari, director ofinternational investments at the iranianManagement development research Center,explained important points that must be observedwhen commencing or operating a business in iran.

dr. rudolf Gridl from the German Federal Ministryfor economic affairs and energy picked up on someimportant points mentioned beforehand. the ses-sion was concluded by Werner Schoeltzke,Managing director of entracon aG and Member of



f.l.t.r.: dr. thomas Wülfing, Chairman of Germela and Member of the advisoryBoard of NUMOV; dr. Martin Herrenknecht, dp. Chairman of NUMOV andChairman of Herrenknecht aG; H.e. ali Majedi, ambassador of the i.r. of iran toGermany; H.e. dieter Haller, director General for economic affairs andSustainable development at the Federal Foreign Office


the Board of NUMOV. after a short break for severalquestions to the speakers, the conference continuedwith best practice presentations by dr. Caspar Glinz,from Schmidt, Kranz & Co. GmbH, and Hubertusengels, from aWS Schäfer technologie GmbH. thefinal session, on the legal framework regardinginvestments and business in iran, was introduced bydr. Mahnaz Mehrinfar, Senior Partner ofinternational law Office dr. Behrooz akhlaghi &associates. dr. thomas Wülfing concluded the ses-sion on legal affairs with an introduction to the prop-er taxation of profits accrued by German companiesin iran.

On 29th June, NUMOV organised a conference onindustrial and economic relations between Germanyand Saudi arabia in cooperation with the lindeGroup, focusing especially on the non-oil sector theconference took place in Munich and gathered partici-pants from small- and medium-sized companies aswell as large companies looking to gain insight into theindustrial and economic relations between Germanyand Saudi arabia, including speeches and presenta-tions delivered by German and Saudi arabian repre-sentatives from both diplomatic and economic fields.among the speakers were dr. Wolfgang Büchele,Chairman of the Board of linde aG, H.e. Boris ruge,German ambassador to Saudi-arabia, Joachimenenkel, Member of the Board of NUMOV, Member ofthe Board of Bilfinger Se and Co-Chairman of theSaudi.german Business dialogue, Martin Grossmannfrom the Bavarian State Ministry of Business andMedia, energy and technology, SebastianMuschelknautz from linde aG, thomas Ohler fromHypovereinsbank and dr. Bader Behaishan al-Busaies from Fahad al-Suwaiket & Bader al-Busaiesattorneys at lawthe conference was concluded bydirk doerrschuck from detecon al Saudia Co ltd.

On 23rd July, NUMOV received a delegation fromafghanistan. H. e. Hamid Sidig, ambassador ofafghanistan to Germany, expressed his appreciation



dr. Wolfgang Büchele, Chairman of theBoard of linde aG

of the support provided by NUMOV even through thehard times that his country has faced and is still fac-ing. the meeting offered a great opportunity to learnmore about afghanistan itself and establish directcontact with one of the most important company’s inthe country. after the presentations were held, afruitful discussion took place, including questionsfrom the audience.

On 28th august, NUMOV hosted the 97th

länderforum with a special focus on the Uae atits new conference centre in Berlin. after giving abrief welcoming speech to the numerous partici-pants from both the economic and political sector,Helene rang introduced the new NUMOV confer-ence centre as a meeting place, where economicand cultural relations between Germany and thecountries of the Middle east can further bestrengthened. at the 97th länderforum, NUMOVwas proud to have H.e. eckhard lübkemeier,ambassador of Germany to the Uae, as theevent’s special guest.

On 15th October NUMOV hosted an egyptConference in Cooperation with the egyptianJunior Business association (eJB) at the NUMOVConference Centre in Berlin. the event wasattended by a delegation of young egyptian entre-preneurs and was the first outcome of the cooper-ation agreement signed between NUMOV and theeJB at the 2nd session of the German-egyptian



f.l.t.r.: Nora Habib-Sadek from the German Federal Ministry of economic affairsand energy; ronda irby, Business development director of Ghazanfar Group;ismail Ghazanfar, Chairman and CeO of Ghazanfar Group; H.e. Hamid Sidig,ambassador of the islamic republic of afghanistan to Germany; dr. GunterMulack, director of the German Orient-institute; Benedikt van den Woldenberg,regional Manager, German Near and Middle east association / NUMOV

f.l.t.r.: Jürgen Möpert, Head of Berlin Office,Wintershall Holding GmbH; Martin Biesel,air Berlin; H.e. eckhard lübkemeier,ambassador of the Federal republic ofGermany to the Uae; andreas Berthe, elproGmbH

Joint economic Commission during the course ofthe visit of egyptian President H.e. abd al- Fattahas-Sisi in June. On their visit to Germany thegroup of junior diplomats was headed by Bernderbel, Member of the advisory Board of NUMOVand former ambassador of Germany to egypt.

later that month, on 22nd October, NUMOV oncemore provided its services for members and inter-ested German companies at a Middle east con-ference. the meeting in Stuttgart in cooperationwith Südwestbank aG and CMS Hasche Siglewas honoured with the presence of H. e. aliMajedi, ambassador iran to Germany, and a busi-ness delegation from iraq.

On 26th November 2015 the German Orient-institute held a panel discussion entitled ‘turkeyafter the elections’ in Berlin. experts ahmetKühlaci, who has headed the Berlin office of theturkish daily newspaper Hürriyet since 2000, andSuat Bakır, CeO of the turkish-German Chamberof Commerce and industr, discussed the manyfascinating developments in the country alongsidemoderator ludwig Schulz, Head of the turkeydesk of the German Orient-institute. the GermanOrient-institute’s panel discussion once againdemonstrated that ongoing developments inturkey remain a highly interesting subject.



f.l.t.r.: ahmed Mashhour, Chairman of eJB; Günther Mull, Managing directordermalog GmbH; H.e. dr. Badr abdelatty, ambassador of the arab republic ofegypt to Germany; Hubert F. Bock, Managing director Misr Bank-europe GmbH;Heiko Wildner, Ministry for economic affairs and energy of Germany

H.e. ali Majedi, ambassador of thei.r. of iran to Germany

f.l.t.r.: ludwig Schulz, Head of the turkeydesk of the German Orient-institute; ahmetKühlaci, Head of Hürriyet Berlin Office; SuatBakır, CeO of the turkish-GermanChamber of Commerce and industry

a delegation of high ranking board members ofNUMOV from a wide range of sectors visited iran inJanuary 2016. the delegation was organised byNUMOV and headed by H.e. Gerhard Schröder,Former Chancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany and Honorary Chairman of NUMOV, at thekind invitation of H.e. Mohammad rezaNematzadeh, Minister of industry, Mines and trade.as a result of NUMOV and its iranian counterpart’ssuccess in holding high-level negotiations and busi-ness delegations even when the sanctions were stillin effect, the visiting party was welcomed specifical-ly to discuss future business plans between the twocountries. German ambassador to iran, H.e.Michael Freiherr von Ungern- Sternberg welcomedthe delegation members in a briefing. Originatingfrom various business fields, the delegates had theperfect chance to exchange their experiences con-cerning money transfer difficulties during the sanc-tions period. a subsequent meeting of the formerchancellor and delegation party with the iranianMinister of roads and Urban development, H.e.abbas ahmad akhoundi, took place afterwards. thiswas followed by a reception at the residence of H.e.Michael Freiherr von Ungern-Sternberg. after thisappointment, H.e Mohammad Nematzadeh warmlywelcomed the delegation and H.e. ali Majedi,



2016

H.e. Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign affairsof the i.r. of iran; H.e. Gerhard Schröder,Honorary Chairman of NUMOV and FormerChancellor of the Federal republic ofGermany

H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Honorary Chairman of NUMOV and Former Chancellorof the Federal republic of Germany; H.e. Hassan rouhani, President of theislamic republic of iran

H.e. Mohammad Nematzadeh, Minister ofindustry, Mines and trade of the i.r. of iran;H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Honorary Chairmanof NUMOV and Former Chancellor of theFederal republic of Germany

ambassador of iran to Germany at his ministry. thesecond day started with a private reception of thehead of delegation, H.e. Gerhard Schröder, withH.e. Hassan rouhani, President of the islamicrepublic of iran, also attended by H.e. ali Majedi.the next meeting, chaired by H.e. GerhardSchröder, took place at the Ministry of Petroleum,where the delegates had the honour of being wel-comed by H.e. Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Minister ofPetroleum. the next visit was to the Ministry ofScience, research and technology, where all partic-ipants were warmly welcomed by Minister H.e. dr.Mohammad Farhadi. Because NUMOV stayed com-mitted to business relations with the iran even in dif-ficult times, the delegation was especially warmlywelcomed by our iranian counterparts. H.e. aliMajedi, the ambassador of iran to Germany, as wellas German ambassador to iran, H.e. MichaelFreiherr von Ungern-Sternberg offered his kindestand most valued support with his presence through-out the delegation as well as the planning phase.

On 19th January NUMOV and the KfW Group organ-ised a conference in Frankfurt that dealt with finan-cial aspects and legal framework conditions in theNear and Middle east. the conference began withan in-depth economic overview of the region, which



H.e. Gerhard Schröder, Honorary Chairman of NUMOV and Former Chancellorof the Federal republic of Germany; H.e. ali-akbar Haschemi rafsandschani,Former President of the i.r. of iran and Chairman of the expediencydiscernment Council of iran

was provided by dr. Jörg Zeuner, Chief economist atthe KfW Group. Subsequently, speeches were givenby Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV, M. rezaHeidarzadeh from the iranian embassy in Germany,Holger apel, Global Head of the Basic industries atthe KfW Group, ali Shahabi, legal Counsel in theinternation al law Office in iran, alaa Yamani,Managing Partner at Yamani, Jamjoom & Baroomlaw Firm in Saudi arabia, Nazih abdul Hameed,Senior associate at al-Mark az law Firm in Kuwait,Marcel trost from Germela in dubai and dr.Mehmet Köksal from Köksal associates in turkey.Finally, andrea isphording, Senior Manager at PwC,delivered an insightful presentation. the eventended with the concluding remarks of host dr.thomas Wülfing, from Germela.

On 25th January, NUMOV held a panel discussion atits conference centre in Berlin under the title ‘turkeyas an economic and investment Partner’ in cooper-ation with the investment Support and Promotion



f.l.t.r.: Holger apel, Global Head Basic industries of the KfW iPeX-Bank; dr.thomas Wülfing, GerMela and Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV;Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV

f.l.t.r.: H.e. Peter altmaier, Head of the Federal Chancellery; Ole von Beust,representative iSPat in Germany and Member of the Board of NUMOV; H.e.Hüseyin avni Karslıoğlu, ambassador of the republic of turkey in Germany; ardaermut, President of iSPat

agency of turkey (iSPat). Moderated by H.e. Olevon Beust, representative of iSPat in Germany andMember of the Board of NUMOV, a panel compris-ing H.e. Peter altmaier, Chief of Staff of the GermanChancellery, H.e. Hüseyin avni Karslıoğlu,ambassador of turkey to Germany, and arda ermut,President of iSPat, discussed the investment andbusiness opportunities available to German compa-nies in turkey. issues such as the current politicalchallenges were also raised.

On 5th april 2016, NUMOV held its annualMembers Meeting, chaired by dr. rainer Seele,Chairman of NUMOV until april 2016, who wasable to present the most successful result ofNUMOV in its 82 years of history. the meetingbegan by addressing NUMOV’s activities over thelast year, highlighting the successful relocation toits own new premises in particular. through thenew building NUMOV is able to offer its membersthe unique possibility to rent the conference cen-tre at very advantageous pricing and as well as to



f.l.t.r.: dr. thomas Wülfing, Member of the advisory Board of NUMOV; Helenerang, dep. Chairperson and CeO of NUMOV; Burkhard dahmen, NewChairman of NUMOV; dr. rainer Seele, Former Chairman of NUMOV

Participants of the Conference

use the address Kronenstraße 1 in Berlin as arepresentative office.

after treasurer Burkhard dahmen presented theresults of NUMOV’s past year in detail, the re-election of the board was held according toschedule under the direction of dr. thomasWülfing, Chairman of Germela. due to his moveto austria, dr. rainer Seele passed his position asChairman of NUMOV to Burkhard dahmen, whowas approved unanimously.

On the same day, NUMOV held its annual confer-ence on at its premises in the heart of Berlin. theNUMOV conference hosted a wide range ofesteemed speakers, dignitaries and guests fromboth near and afar, welcomed warmly byPresident and CeO of SMS group and newChairman of NUMOV, Burkhard dahmen, whointroduced and moderated the event.

Burkhard dahmen began by greeting all guests,especially the iranian guests, headed by H.e. MrsMarzieh Shahdaee, deputy Minister of Oil of theislamic republic of iran and President of theNational Petrochemical Company of iran (NPC), acountry with which strong mutual ties are beingrenewed following the lifting of international sanc-tions in January. Burkhard dahmen hereby passedthe floor to the deputy ambassador of the islamicrepublic of iran to Germany, H.e. Seyed



f.l.t.r.: Helene rang, CeO of NUMOV; Burkhard dahmen, Chairman of NUMOV;H.e. Mrs. Marzieh Shahdaee, deputy Minister of Oil of the i. r. of iran andPresident of the National Petrochemical Company of iran (NPC); H.e. SeyedMohammad emad, dep. ambassador of the i.r. of iran

H.e. Mrs. Marzieh Shahdaee,deputy Minister of Oil of the i.r. of iran and President ofthe National PetrochemicalCompany of iran (NPC)

Mohammad emad, who spoke about the coopera-tion opportunities that will arise in the post-sanc-tions era and the expected expansion of the iranianeconomy.

this speech was followed by another detailed pre-sentation delivered by H.e. Brigitte Zypries,Germany’s deputy Minister for economic affairsand energy, who referred to her own experienceof heading a healthcare delegation to iran inJanuary this year.

expressing his thanks on behalf of the businesscommunity to the Federal Ministry for economicaffairs and energy following the deputy minister’sspeech, NUMOV Chairman Burkhard dahmenintroduced H.e. Mrs Marzieh Shahdaee, deputyMinister of Oil of the islamic republic of iran andPresident of the National Petrochemical Companyof iran (NPC), who began by familiarising theaudience with the petrochemical industry in iran,proceeding to detail areas of development poten-tial and investment opportunity.

the next address was held by H.e. dr. FarhadSharif, Vice President for international affairs ofthe Chamber of Commerce, industries, Mines andagriculture of iran, delivering a presentation titled‘iran-Germany Partnership for regional Growth &development’. the final talk of the first sessionwas given by Mohammad Hadi rahbari, advisorto the Minister of industry, Mines and trade of the



Participants of the German Near and Middle east Conference 2016

H.e. Brigitte Zypries,Germany’s deputy Ministerfor economic affairs andenergy

islamic republic of iran, which offered an in-depthglance at petrochemical investment projects in thecountry.

a short coffee break preceded the second half of theevent, which opened with further insight into busi-ness opportunities in the petrochemical sector iniran, detailed on this occasion by issa Mashayekhi,Managing director of NPC international, who out-lined the current political situation as well as a briefhistory and the structure of the petrochemical sector.Sabine Hummerich, Member of the Board of eiH-BaNK, which specialises in finance between europeand iran and had enjoyed several decades of suc-cessful trade with iran before the sanctions cameinto effect, took to the stage next with a change offocus towards financing and the implementation ofpayments in a presentation entitled ‘Movement ofCapital and Methods of Payment after the lifting ofSanctions’.

representing both euler Hermes, the leading creditinsurance company, and PricewaterhouseCoopers,in this case the agent of the German government,Jan-Philipp apking expounded on the specific legalframework of the aforementioned Hermes cover,which is run jointly by the two companies. the penul-timate speaker was Jürgen Nowicki, Managingdirector and Member of the Board of directors atlinde engineering division, who introduced his com-pany and elaborated at a personal level on theopportunities that he sees in iran.

Following this talk and its ensuing discussion,Burkhard dahmen handed the floor to OliverKnoerich from the German Federal ForeignOffice, who explained the current state of thepolitical relationship and the developments follow-ing the lifting of sanctions according to theJCPoa. On a day concluded by bilateral meetingsand thereby the opportunity for more personalexchanges, it was equally the range of expert



speakers and pronounced audience participationthat made the German Near and Middle eastannual Conference 2016 a resounding success,clarifying in equal measure both the challengesand enormous potential that lies in the rejuvena-tion of an old partnership.

From 16th-19th april 2016, H.e. Sigmar Gabriel, ViceChancellor of Germany and Federal Minister foreconomic affairs and energy, visited egypt andMorocco, leading the 3rd German-egyptian Jointeconomic Commission at the outset of his trip.together with the associated business delegation,consisting of over 100 German company represen-tatives from the energy sector in particular, he metegyptian President H.e. abdel Fattah al-Sisi andtalked about guarantees for German investorsamongst other topics.

additional meetings and discussions followed withegyptian Minister of Foreign affairs H.e. SamihSchukri, egyptian Minister of trade and industryH.e. tarek Qabil, egyptian Minister of tourismH.e. Mohamed Yehia rashed, egyptian Ministerof Supply and internal trade H.e. dr. KhaledHanafy, egyptian Minister of electricity andenergy H.e. dr. Mohamed Shaker, and egyptianMinister of investment H.e. dalia Khorshid.



H.e. Sigmar Gabriel, Vice Chancellor and Minister for economic affairs andenergy of Germany; H.e. abdel Fattah al-Sisi, President of the arab republic ofegypt

in the course of a Suez Canal visit under the direc-tion of H.e. Uwe Beckmeyer, Parliamentary StateSecretary at the Federal Ministry for economicaffairs and energy, a meeting with dr. ahmeddarwish, Chairman of the General authority for theeconomic Zone of Suez Canal, took place.

Following his trip to egypt, H.e. Sigmar Gabriel vis-ited Morocco. during his meeting with H.e. abdelilahBenkirane, Prime Minister of Morocco, the promo-tion of German investment within several areas –particularly in education and vocational training –was emphasised.

as a result of talks between H.e. Sigmar Gabriel andMoroccan Minister of energy, Mining, Water andenvironment H.e. abdelkader amara, an agreementwithin the field of renewable energy was concluded.H.e. Sigmar Gabriel also met H.e. MohamedBoussaid, Morocco’s Minister of economy andFinance, who highlighted the renewable energy sec-tor once again, also stressing the great potentialwithin the automotive sector in Morocco, especiallyfor German companies. Further meetings includedtalks with H.e. Moulay Hafid el alamy, Minister ofindustry, trade, investment and digital economy,and with H.e. anis Birou, Minister of expatriates andMigration affairs.



H.e. Sigmar Gabriel, Vice Chancellor and Minister for economic affairs andenergy of Germany; H.e. abdelilah Benkirane, Prime Minister of Morocco

Summarythe history of the German Near and Middle eastassociation has been marked by a wide range ofactivities aimed at promoting business relationsbetween Germany and the countries of the Near andMiddle east. this was made possible by the activesupport of our many members and partners. Wewould like to take this opportunity to express ourgratitude.

By constantly developing and broadening its exper-tise and range of services, the German Near andMiddle east association today is not only the oldestbut also the leading organisation promoting eco-nomic relations between Germany and the countriesof the Near and Middle east. the association’smembership numbers reflect the growing interest inthe Near and Middle east region and the satisfactionof our members with the activities of the associationitself.

the importance of the Near and Middle east regionfor Germany’s export-oriented industry can hardlybe overstated. Geopolitical and energy-relatedissues as well as demographic changes in the coun-tries of the region establish the conditions for eco-nomic cooperation. this is further reinforced by ahigh appreciation of German products and know-how in the region. German companies thereforehave great opportunities to operate successfully inthese markets. the German Near and Middle eastassociation seeks to assist its member companiesto initiate business contacts, build up internationalnetworks, foster bilateral and multilateral businessrelations, and provide information on various sub-jects and topics on markets, sectors and brances.detailed information on market entry, market exten-sion and risk assessment with regard to economicconditions for export and import promotion as wellas on market information on regions and industriesand general information on concessions and grantsis available.

NUMOV, the German Near and Middle eastassociation, will continuously strive to meet thedemands and requests of its members, offering itsexperience, expertise, and enthusiasm.


Near and Middle East Economic Handbook.qxd

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