Cornelia Pieper, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, today (26 October) joined Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Stefan Mappus to open GlobalConnect 2010, the main international trade forum of German companies engaged in international trade.

The main focus of this year’s two-day congress and trade exhibition will be the BRIC countries and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

On the margins of the opening ceremony Minister of State Pieper held bilateral talks with a number of high-ranking participants, including H.E. Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates. Her programme ended with a tour of the international trade exhibition and visits to the stands of German IT companies.