“It is a special distinction for our business centre that a Saudi-Arabian delegation will stay in Saxony-Anhalt for three days to talk about economy. The Arabic countries have a high growth potential; in the future, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will drive investment. Therefore, I am glad to note the interest of the biggest national economy of the Middle East in renewable energies. This is a field in which the economy of Saxony-Anhalt excels. During the last years, we have become a top location for the solar sector. In addition, our local companies have an exceptional expertise on the production of wind-power plants. This offers good chances for investments and strategic cooperation.” With these words, the Minister of Economic Affairs, Dr. Reiner Haseloff, welcomed a very important economic delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Magdeburg today.

During their three-day visit, the important Saudi Arabian representatives will be briefed in particular on the potential of Saxony-Anhalt as a renewable energy pole. According to a statement by Ali Al-Naimi’s (Minister for Petrol and Raw Materials), in the long run Saudi Arabia will export as much solar energy as it does petrol today. The prelude of the visit was the whole-day solar conference held in the regional capital with the participation of more than 100 representatives of companies and research institutions from throughout Germany. The program of the three-day trip included a visit to the “Solar Valley” in Thalheim and of the Q-Cells SE (on Wednesday) and the ChemiePark in Bitterfeld Wolfen and the Gartenreich in Dessau-Wörlitz (on Thursday).

Background:

The delegation’s trip was also attended by representatives of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the King Saud University and the Saudi-Arabian Ministry of Finance. The trip was organized by the national Investment and Marketing Corporation in collaboration with the National Ministry of Economy and Agriculture and the association Nah- und MittelOst-Verein e.V. (NUMOV), which have cooperated for 75 years to strengthen the economic relations between Germany and the regions of the Near and Mid East.                                                           

This year, Saxony-Anhalt introduced itself at different events in the Arabic world, as for instance the Jeddah Economic Forum, the Saudi-Arabian Conference in Riad and the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

After the USA, China, and Japan, Germany holds the fourth position on the Saudi Arabian export list. German imports from the Kingdom amounted to €648 million in 2009. 12.8 million Euro of this went to Saxony-Anhalt. Goods of approx. €4.8 billion were exported from Germany to Saudi Arabia. €68.7 million of this were exported by companies in Saxony-Anhalt.