Pakistan wishes more economic linkages with Germany: FM Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan wants to have more economic linkages with Germany for enhancement of bilateral trade and investment.

He addressed a joint news conference with his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, on Monday after talks in Berlin.

Qureshi said that there are great opportunities for Germany to invest in Pakistan in various areas, including renewable energy, electric vehicles, information technology, and tourism.

He added that he has apprised his German counterpart about the shift in Pakistan’s policy from geo-politics to geo-economics, the government’s focus on economic diplomacy, and the new incentives being offered to investors.

Qureshi also talked about regional security. He said that India will have to take the first step to create an enabling and conducive environment for talks with Pakistan after India’s action about

Kashmir on August 5, 2019. He said Pakistan wants to have peaceful relations with all the countries, including India. He said all issues can be resolved through dialogue

Apart from that, the foreign minister further said that the objectives of Pakistan and Germany about Afghanistan are identical. He said we want peace, stability, and progress in Afghanistan. He said Germany has an important role in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan. He said we will remain in touch on the Afghan issue.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi said his visit is taking place when Pakistan and Germany are celebrating 70 years of their diplomatic relations, and its logo has also been made public.

During the conference, he thanked Germany for supporting Pakistan at FATF. He also thanked Germany for its support to grant EU GSP Plus status to Pakistan. He expressed gratitude for

Germany for sending fifteen million anti-Covid-19 doses to Pakistan.

What did the German foreign Minister say?

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also spoke on the occasion. He said that the two sides held a constructive discussion on enhancing bilateral trade and investment. He said Pakistan is of great importance for Germany.

He added that Pakistan has played great efforts for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. He said any situation in Afghanistan influences intensively Pakistan.