German President Wulff visits Bangladesh

German President Christian Wulff arrived in Dhaka Monday on a three-day official visit to Bangladesh. Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman greeted him at Shahjalal International Airport Monday afternoon. Wulff, the first German president to visit Bangladesh since 1986, will hold talks on Tuesday with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who visited Berlin last month. Wulff is leading an 84-member delegation that includes Members of the German Parliament, State Secretaries of the German Foreign Office as well as a high-level business delegation. Moreover, two German Scholars of Islamic Studies are accompanying the German President. Wulff in his pre-departure interview with Bangladesh news agency UNB said his visit would contribute to intensifying the cooperation between Bangladesh and Germany, and deepening the mutual dialogue on key issues for the future. He said,"Bangladesh is a key partner for Germany when it comes to tackling global challenges, including the question of how we can together contribute to improved understanding across cultural and religious boundaries. That is why I decided to visit Bangladesh after only a year and a half in office." Germany is Bangladesh's second largest export market worldwide. In high-end technology and machinery area Germany is also one of Bangladesh's most important import partners. In 2010, Bangladesh's export to Germany was Euro 2.3 billion while import Euro 464 million. From January to June 2011, the export was Euro 1.55 billion while import Euro 230 million. The overall growth is 50 percent. After visiting Bangladesh, Wulff will travel to Indonesia before returning to Germany.