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President John Dramani Mahama is paying a State Visit to the Federal Republic of Germany. The visit is expected to strengthen relations between the two countries and explore new avenues for cooperation. The President left Accra Sunday morning for Berlin, and will on Monday hold discussions with the Federal President, Joachim Gauck, and the German Chancellor, Dr. Angela Merkel. He will hold meetings with other German officials, institutions, businesses and address an Investment Forum on Tuesday. Ghana and Germany established diplomatic relations in 1960 and have since enjoyed the cooperation and support of each other. Ghana is a priority partner-country for German Development Cooperation and has benefited from German assistance in various facets including social, economic and political development. Germany is supporting Ghana's 2013- 2015 fiscal year with EUR130 million, comprising EUR 100 million for Financial Cooperation (FC) projects/ programmes and EUR 30 million for Technical Cooperation (TC). President Mahama, who is the Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, will in his meetings also discuss issues of concern to the West African sub-region and the African continent. This include fighting terrorism, strengthening the regional blocs, and establishment of emergency health alert systems.