German Ambassador Hans-Christian von Reibnitz said his first Ramadan in Kuwait has been an overwhelming experience of compassion, solidarity and social openness, and that the many different Diwaniyas and Ghabkas he attended since the beginning of Ramadan opened his heart and mind to the deeply rooted hospitality so characteristic for the people of Kuwait.
Speaking to media persons at an Iftar he hosted in their honour he pointed out that Kuwait had a very special character and flavour that differs from other Arab and Islamic countries where he served which included Turkey, Afghanistan, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Ambassador Rebnitz pointed out that he learned new things from Kuwait’s customs in this Holy Month, perhaps the most prominent of which was Gergeian, which he had not seen in any country he served before.
Elaborating on what he saw in one of the suburbs of Kuwait aroused joy and pleasure, indicating that this custom was very similar to some celebrations in Germany, where children roam around the houses, knock on doors, sing some songs, and families present them with sweets, in a wonderful indication of family and community cohesion.
Ambassador Rebnitz praised Kuwait’s diwaniyas which he described as unique as platforms for opinion, explaining that he had visited more than 25 diwaniyas so far, pointing out that foreign missions in Kuwait are racing to visit the largest number of diwaniyas during the holy month, expressing his happiness at the state of beautiful coexistence between religions in Kuwait.
He pointed out that he experienced Kuwait in an atmosphere of openness and friendship, which are the most important elements of coexistence between people. In response to a question about the embassy’s preparations for the tourism and travel season and the potential demand for visas, he said our country is open to you, and we welcome Kuwaiti tourists and travelers but cautioned not to leave it for the last moment.
Regarding economic and social relations, he said, “I think we can build on what we have done in the past sixty years, but we can improve them. Our economic relations are fairly stable, but they have not developed, and Germany is ready to participate in the Kuwaiti government’s plans to diversify the country’s economy to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.”
Among them, energy transformation, water management, environmental awareness and climate change are possible areas of cooperation. “We look forward to closer cooperation with the Kuwaiti government in the run-up to the World Climate Change Conference, which the region will host in December 2023,” he said, noting that the economic relations between Kuwait and Germany are looking forward to future prospects in many sectors such as automobiles, industrial technology, health, information technology and artificial intelligence and others.
Ambassador Rebnitz pointed out that education was as good as free with a cost of as little as 200 euros annually and encouraged people to apply to German universities