KARACHI: German Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck on Monday said that Germany desires a prosperous but "democratic" Pakistan that respects human rights, particularly freedom of expression.
"I do not want to qualify the degree of democratic efficiencies that can be seen time to time," he told Aaj TV's Munizae Jahangir in an exclusive interview.
Asked about Pakistan-German relationship in light of purported human rights violations, the ambassador said that indeed there were some cases that gave rise to concerns and that would be taken up with government.
He said he hoped that these matters would be discussed with the government in a constructive manner as the government was trying to remedy the situation, but "perhaps not always to the degree that would be sufficient for Germany and the EU."
Asked if Germany would show some flexibility in such a situation as it is one of the conditions to access EU markets, the enovy said that human rights constitute one of the building blocks of G Plus countries.
Speaking about bilateral trade relations, he said that "Germany was in good pace with Pakistan before the pandemic which has been reduced since the pandemic struck". He was of the view that security was also a concern to the foreign investors but the major impediment is lack of an enabling investment environment.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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