Florian Karner, Minister for Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation, Germany, asked Ministry of Economic Affairs for removing hurdles causing delays in the completion of the running development projects. German delegation also dilated upon the status of flood-related projects.
German Minister for Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation, also discussed proposed priority areas for future commitments, which will include social security, climate change adaptation and resilience, energy transmission and renewable energy, and promoting employment through women empowerment.
In the meeting, Pakistan and Germany have agreed to further strengthen their long-held relationship during the “Pakistan-German Bilateral Government Consultation” held here on Monday.
The German delegation was headed by Minister for Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation Florian Karner, while the Pakistani delegation was led by Joint Secretary Economic Affairs Division Islam Zaib.
Florian Karner appreciated the MoEA for arranging the bilateral consultation. He extended heartfelt condolence to the flood-affected families in Pakistan and assured complete assistance for early restoration.
He further apprised that Germany has expedited its short-term humanitarian assistance and middle-and long-term cooperation for Pakistan in this difficult situation. The total amount of German support for Pakistan currently adds up to approximately €60m. “We are committed to continuing our support to Pakistan. Germany wants to help our partners to be more resilient for the long term,” said Karner.
In his concluding remarks, Florian Karner apprised that the government-to-government negotiations between Pakistan and Germany are going to be held in Frankfurt in May 2023.
Islam Zeb reiterated that Pakistan and Germany enjoy long-standing cooperative relations. Pakistan is working together very closely with the German Embassy in Islamabad to substantially enhance aid effectiveness, optimizing and better-aligning funding allocations for this year. He further assured the German delegation of prompt resolution of the issues and timelines of the pending projects.
“The Pakistan-Germany bilateral government consultations and negotiations are two important pillars of our relationship,” stated the Joint Secretary. He further expressed gratitude for the German Humanitarian Flood Relief Assistance for the flood victims of Pakistan.
While highlighting the cordial relationship, Islam Zaib stated that Germany is one of the most valued partners of Pakistan and is home to a large number of the Pakistani diaspora, a reliable source of investment, remittances and economic assistance to Pakistan. He further stated that Pakistan and Germany have in place well-structured mechanisms for dialogue in various spheres.
