Language will be officially inaugurated next Wednesday in the University of Aden. In a press release, the Germany Embassy in Sana'a said that the department would be opened by German Ambassador to Yemen Michael Klor-Berchtold, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Abdul Karim Abdullah Al-Rawdi, and Rector of Aden University, Prof. Dr. Abdulaziz Saleh Bin Habtour. "Germany wants to emphasize the fruitful and long-lasting ties with the University of Aden, and inspire academic staff and students to enjoy an open exchange of views and engage in cooperation", said the embassy. "Germany is convinced that education is the key for development. Through the new German Department, the international academic network offering studies in German culture and language will be strengthened and extended to anchor German as a foreign language more firmly in the Yemeni higher education system". For a long time, it had been the University of Aden's desire to establish a German Department. In October 2007, the German government sent a lecturer of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to Aden to assist the University in setting up a German Department. In a joint process, a curriculum was developed and in October 2008, the first students registered for the new program. In Yemen, there are now two places to study German culture and language at university level: in Aden and in Sana'a.