German Ambassador Boris Ruge speaks to Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, at the tourism body›s headquarters in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Representatives from the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and the German government held talks here Wednesday to improve cultural ties.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the SCTA, met with newly appointed German Ambassador Boris Ruge at the tourism body’s headquarters, an SCTA official said Thursday.

Germany is keen to strengthen cultural ties with the Kingdom, especially among the younger generation, to promote mutual understanding and solidarity, said the official.

Earlier, the German envoy said he is on a steep learning curve in the Kingdom and hopes to continue the hard work of his predecessor Dieter W. Haller, who is back working at the home office.

Ruge took up his post in Riyadh recently. He joined the German Foreign Service six months before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He earlier served as regional director of the Middle East and North Africa region at the German Foreign Office in Berlin.

 
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