German Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Cyrill Nunn on Tuesday said that his country wants to further enhance its relations with Pakistan in various fields including trade and economy. Speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad's (ISSI) public-talk titled 'Pakistan-German Relations', Dr Nunn said though two countries have enjoyed good bilateral relation over the decades, yet there is a need for further improvement in the ties.
"We are committed to the highest possible visibility of our relationship...we need high level of exchanges to further enhance the relations between the two countries", he said, adding in the recent past a number of high level delegations from Germany visited Pakistan which would help increase the ties. He further said that German vice minister for planning and development will also visit Pakistan in September to meet his Pakistani counterpart and discuss co-operation in various fields.
Referring to the fight against terrorism, he said that the German government and its institutions respect and acknowledge the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan army in the war against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants. He said that his country is interested in a strong and stable Pakistan, saying without a stable Pakistan, the region will not find peace and stability. He said that Pakistan, being an immediate neighbour to Afghanistan, suffered a lot in the war.
Referring to trade relation between the two countries, he said that Germany was supportive of Pakistan getting the GSP plus status. He said that Pakistan is one of the three countries, which has trade surplus with Germany. However, he stressed the need for taking benefit of the GSP plus effectively. On the death penalty, the German envoy said that though Pakistan has its own view on the capital punishment but Germany considers it a cruel punishment to humanity.
Dr Nunn also appreciated Pakistan's decision not to become part in the Yemen war, saying that Pakistan has its own challenges and it was a wise decision to focus on its own problems. "We need to answer to the energy crisis...we need to answer to poverty, militancy and extremism being faced by this country", he added. About Afghanistan, he said that the two countries are willing that peace and stability should be restored in the war-torn country. He said though combat mission has already came to an end but Germany will not disengage from the region and will continue to support the new government to cope with the challenges of security as well as economy.
Referring to the internal division in the society, Dr Nunn particularly mentioned that according to his country there was Shia, Sunni or Christian, all are Pakistanis. "We believe there should be no division in Pakistani society", he said. He also expressed the hope to see Pakistan a 'shining star' of Asia. He said that one important aspect of the relationship was the student exchange adding around 3,000 Pakistani students were currently studying in various educational institutions in Germany. While around 600 students were being provided the scholarships funded by the government of Germany and government of Pakistan, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Director General ISSI Masood Khan said that nuclear programme of Pakistan is of key important to meet the energy requirements of the country. He said that in co-operation with China, Pakistan has already established four nuclear plants and another two will also be set up, which will help Pakistan in addressing the energy crisis.
Chairman of the ISSI Ambassador (Retd) Khalid Mahmood, in his concluding remarks, pointed out that the mutual trade between Pakistan and Germany stands at $2.5 billion which requires further increase. He said that 80,000 Pakistani diaspora in Germany was significantly contributing to the country's development through foreign remittances. However, he stated that German investment recorded a decline which was mainly because of the security situations.
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