Germany special guest at Janadriyah festival

Michael Ohnmacht, spokesperson and deputy head of mission of the German embassy, confirmed in an interview with Arab News that Germany will be the guest country at the next Janadriyah festival to be held from Feb. 4 to Feb 22, 2015 at Janadriyah heritage village located on the outskirts of Riyadh.
He underlined that it was a great honor for Germany to be next year’s guest country.
It is a recognition of the excellent state of our bilateral relations to have been chosen as “Special Guest” for the most outstanding cultural heritage festival in Saudi Arabia which showcases the rich culture and traditions of the Kingdom and is organized by the Ministry for National Guard.
The festival was initiated by Saudi government that will see its 30th edition in February 2015.
On the occasion of the official opening of the festival, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Minister of Foreign Affairs, should be back in the Kingdom, as he stated in a recent press conference in Jeddah. Representatives of the German culture, arts and folklore sectors, as well as renowned academics from Germany will take part in the 30th National Heritage and Culture Festival at Janadriyah.
The German participation will take place under the slogan “Germany — Land of Ideas: Innovation has tradition” as Ohnmacht explained. In the German Pavilion situated in the center of the festival site, the Saudi public will be able to learn more about Germany and experience the rich diversity of German cultural heritage and traditions.
“In addition to that, strolling through the German pavilion, the visitors will find future-oriented ideas and projects ‘Made in Germany’ whether in business, science or society, and experience innovative solutions the country is offering to meet future challenges. By visiting the German Pavilion, the visitors can experience that innovation indeed has tradition in Germany,” he added.
He also indicated that the German Foreign Office has initiated the project of the German pavilion together with “Germany — Land of Ideas” and the Goethe-Institute as cooperation partners.
From the German private sector, Airbus Group, DETASAD, Deutsche Bank, Dorsch Gruppe, Herrenknecht, Lufthansa, Lürssen, SAP, Siemens, Volkswagen and V-Line will be partners and GESALO/AHK will be the organizer of the economic program.