German president to pay first ever official visit to Myanmar

German Federal President Joachim Gauck will pay a first ever official visit to Myanmar soon at the invitation of his Myanmar counterpart U Thein Sein, said an official announcement Thursday without specifying the date of his visit. However, Gauck is expected to arrive in Yangon on Feb. 11 to attend the first ever Myanmar-Germany business forum which will begin a day ahead of his arrival, sources said. During his visit, Gauck will also inaugurate the first German Goethe Institute in Myanmar and give speech at the University of Yangon, sources added. Myanmar and Germany saw economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries in 2013 encouraged by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelles's visit to Myanmar in 2012. During 2013, the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) signed an agreement with its Myanmar counterpart, the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), to open its representative office in Yangon. According to official figures, bilateral trade between Myanmar and Germany amounted to 187.53 million U.S.dollars in the fiscal year 2012-13. of which Germany's import from Myanmar totaled 42.98 million U.S.dollars while its export to Myanmar stood 144.55 million U.S.dollars. The bilateral trade figures for the first six months (April- September) of 2013-14 went to 48.14 million dollars. Germany's investment in the Southeast Asian nation amounted to 17.5 million U.S.dollars as of July 2013 since Myanmar opened to such investment in late 1988. Germany announced decision to resume full-scale development aid to Myanmar following that of the European Union to suspend sanctions against the country for one year. Germany is known as the second-largest donor to Myanmar after Japan.