The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Annett Gunther, has reiterated her country’s commitment to further concretising and deepening bilateral relations between both countries.
Gunther expressed the commitment in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
She said Germany and Nigeria “have enjoyed more than 60 years of diplomatic relations”, adding that the German government considers Nigeria as an important political, economic, and cultural partner.
“As part of our cultural relations with Nigeria, the foreign minister in December 2022 brought back some of the Benin artifacts that had been taken to German museums.
“There was a political agreement that Germany will return to Nigeria all the artifacts that are in our possession.
“So her visit in 2022 was basically the first symbolic handover of those pieces of art,” she said.
According to her, Germany and Nigeria have enjoyed a broad partnership since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, and it has grown over the years.
She observed that there is the need to intensify diplomatic relations between both countries with especial focus on trade relations.
“This was why during the German chancellor’s visit to Nigeria in October 2023, he came with a huge business delegation from Germany.
“There are plans in place to deepen the diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Germany.
“Also, the recent high level visits of some German officials such as the chancellor and Minister for development cooperation indicate a broad area of cooperation between both countries.
“Some weeks ago, our state secretary and Special Envoy for Climate actions visited and we had intensive talks about renewable energy and climate change.
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“There were discussions on what could be done, how we could cooperate to move to a more sustainable greener environment for future of our societies.
“The visits were symbolic of the desire to intensify Nigeria-German relations, especially under this new administration in Nigeria, led by President Bola.
“We have seen great potential for further economic and trade cooperation with Nigeria,” she said. (NAN)
