Germany has rejected the claim of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan that Berlin was involved in the proliferation of nuclear technology to Iran and North Korea. Berlin also believes that it has a lot to offer to the agrarian Pakistan in the filed of processing agricultural products.
German Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Michael Koch stated this in his address on "Bilateral Relations between Germany and Pakistan" to a meeting organised by the English Speaking Union (ESU) at a local hotel on Tuesday.
The ambassador, who was appointed to Pakistan in August 2008, was flanked by ESU President Naveed A. Khan, Tariq M.A Rangoonwala and other office bearers of the union.
Dwelling on various differences and similarities and political, commercial and cultural relations between Germany and Pakistan, Dr Koch said the two countries had a trade volume of around $1.6 billion in 2008, whereas the German portfolio investment in Pakistan stood at $364 million.
Urging the need to strengthen democratic institutions in the dictatorship-hit country, the German envoy expressed the hope that the present elected government would be helpful in attaining this objective. "Pakistan is under attack by a small minority of extremists and to defeat (this menace) we want democracy and human rights to join hands in Pakistan," he said.
Dr Koch said the security of his country was also at stake at the hands of terrorists. Terming the current nine percent tax-to-GDP ratio in Pakistan as far more low, the German ambassador stressed on structural reforms in the crises-hit Pakistan.
Asked to comment on Pakistani nuclear scientist's, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, statement that Germany was involved in nuclear proliferation, the envoy briefly replied that "It is wrong". Dr Khan, who has long been under fire for allegedly running a network of nuclear proliferators across the globe, had, in a recent media talk, claimed that Tehran and Pyongyang had got the nuke technology through Berlin.
Dr Koch told a questioner that his country had a lot to offer to Pakistan in the field of processing the agricultural parts. He thought Islamabad should export agriculture goods in a more furnished form. To another query the ambassador ruled out the possibility of Pak-German co-operation in the field of tourism at this stage where the terrorism-hit country was facing a security challenge.
"Tourism at this point is difficult... Germany is a free country and we don't impose travel restrictions but we have to recognise that it is a difficult movement to launch an initiative in that area," he explained. About the forthcoming Afghanistan conference, the German envoy said the moot would help the international community define its goals in the war-torn country.
He said his government would wait for the conference and would then decide that whether it should engage militarily or economically. Earlier, welcoming the guests ESU President Naveed A. Khan suggested to the German ambassador that exchange of youth between the two countries should be encouraged to strengthen cultural ties. He said the two friendly states had a history of cordial politico-economic and cultural bilateral relations and the envoy had been busy in further augmenting the same. Plaque was also presented to the German ambassador at the end of the meeting.
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