Pakistan, Germany enjoying close, friendly ties: Envoy
By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD—German Ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Gunter Mulack Tuesday said Pakistan and Germany have very close and friendly relations and there has been a remarkable positive development in these ties.In a message on the occasion of the Day of German Unity 2007, being celebrated on October 3, the German ambassador said, “We have seen a remarkable positive development in our relations with Pakistan and we hope that this trend will continue and even grow stronger in the future.”
The ambassador said on the occasion of 17th anniversary of the reunification of Germany, the day reminds the peaceful overcoming of the divide between East and West which had lasted for more than four decades.
The German ambassador said since the creation of Pakistan, Germany has been a reliable partner in trade, development, military, scientific and cultural cooperation. The ambassador said collaboration which dates back more than 40 years, as Pakistan has been and still is one of the main partners of German development assistance. Referring to the tragic incident of October 2005 earthquake, the ambassador said, “We stood side by side with the people of Pakistan and contributed our share to provide relief to the victims of this disaster.”
He said renewable energies, education as well as health are the medium term priorities of the German development cooperation with Pakistan. He said technical support is being given by GTZ, mostly in NWFP as well as in the Northern Areas while financial assistance in the form of soft loans is provided by KfW. Both organisations KfW and GTZ are German government-owned institutions. The German ambassador said the year 2007 has seen an intensified dialogue on all levels between Germany and Pakistan. The Pakistani Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri, visited Germany twice; the German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as well as the German Minister of Defence, Dr. Franz Josef Jung, held talks in Islamabad. he added. The ambassador said several members of the Bundestag, the German Parliament, paid visits to Pakistan. In the framework of the German EU-Presidency in the first half of 2007 as well as the German G8-Presidency, which continues until 31st December 2007, the ambassador said, Pakistan was high on the agenda.
He said in February a far-reaching EU-Pakistan Joint Declaration was signed in Berlin. In May the first EU-Pakistan Joint Commission meeting took place in Islamabad and still ongoing is the G8-initiative to promote better ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan, he added. On the bilateral economic side, he said, “We have witnessed a further expansion of our cooperation.” The ambassador said well known German companies, such as Metro and Lufthansa will start their operations in Pakistan in due course. He said many Pakistani business delegations have visited Germany - and in November another major German business delegation will come to Pakistan.
The ambassador said in the fields of technology, scientific research and higher education Germany is one of the leading nations in the world and imparting its knowledge to other countries including Pakistan. Every year scholarships are granted to Pakistani PhD students and preparations for setting up a German Technical University in Lahore are well under way, he added. The Goethe Institute Karachi as well as the Annemarie-Schimmel-House in Lahore are organizing cultural events which attract the interest of a broad public, he said.