Germany and Egypt have enjoyed close ties and developed extensive partnerships for many decades that cover culture, economics, and politics, according to Cyrill Nunn, Germany’s Ambassador to Egypt.
Nunn’s remarks came as part of the celebrations for his country’s National Day, in which he added that there are many German institutions operating in Egypt. These have borne witness to the deep and unconventional links between the two countries in the cultural, economic and political arenas.
“Our work in the embassy focuses on close cooperation with our partners in Egypt, and with representatives of German institutions, as well as with our colleagues in the diplomatic corps,” he said.
The Ambassador added, “We all see how Egypt has managed to keep casualties from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) relatively low, and this would not have been possible without modern technology and an adequate stock of supplies, besides professional medical staff.”
Nunn said that Egypt has worked hard in recent years to improve all of these areas, which has encouraged Germany’s support for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) decision to approve funds for the Middle Eastern country.
The funds will go towards supporting Egypt to maintain its achievements and combat the pandemic, whilst remaining able to continue structural reforms, the ambassador also said.
He added, “In my opinion, Egypt has good experience in the health sector, and so far German companies are interested to engage.”
“Although every year, we celebrate the Day of German Unity at our diplomatic missions abroad, including in Cairo, the year 2020 is very special, as it is the 30th Anniversary of Germany’s reunification,” Nunn said, “Thirty years ago, on 3 October 1990, the process of unifying Germany was completed, with the official accession of the German Democratic Republic to the Federal Republic of Germany.”
A total of 45 years have passed since the country’s division, and 28 years since the construction of the Berlin Wall which cut the country into two. With reunification, Germany’s two halves were melded back together.
The peaceful revolution that was undertaken by the citizens of Leipzig and many other cities in East Germany in November 1989 did not pave the way for the reunification of Germany only, but also for the end of the Cold War. Those people who used to look to each other in hostility are now looking together towards a single future of security and peace, Nunn said.
Germany’s reunification commenced the dawn of a new era in European history, which saw the idea of a single Europe created that no one had imagined until then.
According to the ambassador, Germany’s Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expressed this meaning, saying, “The 30th Anniversary of German unity is a cause not for the German people, but for many other peoples around the world to reflect on looking at the past.”
Nunn highlighted that the significance of the message that was launched at that time was that one is not capable of achieving great achievements on his own. Instead, he can only achieve much in close cooperation with his neighbours and partners.
“Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to have the opportunity to participate in this important memory in my capacity as Germany’s Ambassador to Cairo,” he said.
