German ambassador holds Iftar party in honor of local journalists
KUWAIT CITY, June 13: Ambassador of Federal Republic of Germany to Kuwait Karlfried Bergner held an Iftar party at Babel Restaurant in honor of local journalists. The event was attended by diplomatic officials of the German Embassy in Kuwait.
In his statement, Ambassador Bergner praised the distinguished atmosphere in Kuwait during the month of Ramadan as well as the interactions in diwaniyas.
He revealed that he managed to visit about 60 diwaniyas so far this month.
The ambassador highlighted the important role played by the State of Kuwait in the UN Security Council, considering it as a great opportunity for enhancing the cooperation between Germany and Kuwait for solving international problems.
He affirmed that Germany, along with Kuwait, is striving to ensure their membership in the Security Council is effective to serve international issues by cementing cooperation and expanding bilateral endeavors to strengthen the role of the Security Council in solving regional issues, ending ongoing conflicts and reducing human sufferings.
The ambassador highlighted the much awaited visit of the Prime Minister of Kuwait His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak to Germany on June 26.
He explained that Sheikh Jaber has been scheduled to give a speech during the opening ceremony of the economic summit to be held by the Association of German Chamber of Commerce and Industry Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag (DIHK).
Regarding the Schengen visa, Ambassador Bergner called upon those who wish to travel to Germany to apply for the visa through “Al-Qabas Assurex” - Visa Application Center for Germany where interviews will be scheduled within two to three days but could extend to a week or more during the summer season.
He explained that the duration for completion of visa transaction for Kuwaitis ranges between three and five working days, and 12 working days for other nationalities. In unique cases, the process would take a week after submission of all necessary documents if the applicant has to travel to Germany first and then to other “Schengen” cities from there. The ambassador went on to explain that almost 55,000 visas were issued last year, which is a significant increase compared to the previous years.
The duration for stay is 95 days in every six months irrespective of the validity of the visa. The charges are KD 22 for adults, KD 13 for children between the ages of 6 and 12, and free for children aged six years and below. In addition, KD 10 has to be paid for services offered by Al-Qabas Assurex — Visa Application Center for Germany.