Islamabad, 15 February 2022 (TDI): Sohail Mahmood, Foreign Secretary for Pakistan met with Jochen Flasbarth, German Secretary for Economic Cooperation and development.
After recently taking charge of his office, the German Secretary is visiting Pakistan from 14-16 February on his two-day official visit, according to the tweet posted by the Twitter handle of RadioPakistan, the Official Account of the State broadcaster.
German State Secretary for Economic Cooperation and Development Jochen Flasbarth met with Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional issues https://t.co/JssPNgD0bX @ForeignOfficePk pic.twitter.com/FhE08RVKnu
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) February 14, 2022
During the meeting, both Secretaries discussed bilateral relations and current regional issues. Last year, both Pakistan and Germany celebrated their 70 years of diplomatic relations.
Sohail Mehmood, Foreign Secretary of Pakistan appreciated the role of Germany in the bilateral relations in all dimensions. Sohail Mahmood said that Pakistan has enjoyed multi-dimensional cooperation with Germany.
Likewise, Pakistan is resolved to strengthen this bond specifically in the field of energy, climate change, trade, and development. Pakistan has also appreciated the role of Germany in the development sector of Pakistan for the last 6 decades.
Omar Ayub Khan, Minister for Economic Affairs Pakistan briefed the German delegation about the ongoing policy reforms focused on climate change, green energy, agriculture, regional connectivity, and information communication technologies.
German State Secretary for Economic Cooperation and Development said, ‘‘Germany will provide further assistance for Social Sector including Education and Health, Green Energy, Urban Infrastructure, Digital Governance, and Start-Up Pakistan Programme.”
As Germany is the largest trading partner of Pakistan within the EU, Foreign Secretary highlighted Pakistan’s shift to geo-economics. Sohail Mehmood expected that German companies would take maximum advantage of the business and trade-friendly policies of the Pakistan Government. Foreign Secretary also acknowledged the dedicated support of Germany for GSP+ status to Pakistan.
During the discussions related to current regional issues, the Foreign Secretary also highlighted the Afghanistan issue with German Secretary for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Foreign Secretary focused on the need to assist 40 million Afghan people in order to prevent any humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan.
He emphasized that for better regional integration and connectivity, stability and peace in Afghanistan are much needed and cannot be ignored at any cost.
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Pakistan is contributing to the efforts of the international community to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.
Jochen Flasbarth, German Secretary for Economic Cooperation and Development also acknowledged the support of Pakistan in the evacuation operation of Germany from Afghanistan during August 2021.
Germany is an important partner of Pakistan in the trade and development sectors. A large Pakistani diaspora is present in Germany and it is also important to note that Germany is one of the largest investors in Pakistan. Both Countries have excellent relations bilaterally as well as in the context of the European Union.
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