PM Shehbaz lauds Germany’s role in Pakistan’s industrial development

ISLAMABAD, August 22 (SABAH): Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms. Svenja Schulze, at the Prime Minister’s House, Islamabad on Thursday.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed Minister Schulze to Pakistan and appreciated Germany’s longstanding support for Pakistan’s socioeconomic development. He said that Pakistan and Germany had a history of mutually beneficial commercial and economic ties and lauded Germany’s role in Pakistan’s industrial development. In this context, the Prime Minister expressed Pakistan’s strong desire to revive the Pakistan-Germany partnership back to its glorious past.

The Prime Minister highlighted Pakistan’s commitment to sustainable development, climate change mitigation and economic growth while sharing his government’s priorities including structural reforms for the economic revival of the country.

Minister Schulze conveyed greetings of Chancellor Olaf Scholz to the Prime Minister and reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Pakistan, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, and development cooperation. She also shared that Germany was keen to increase its support for Pakistan’s renewable energy sector and climate resilience initiatives.

The two sides discussed ways to further enhance bilateral economic cooperation, including increased trade, investment, IT and technology transfer as well as export of skilled labor. They also exchanged views on regional and global issues, including the situation in Gaza and the Ukraine conflict.

Minister Schulze also extended an invitation to the Prime Minister on behalf of Chancellor Olaf Scholz to attend the Hamburg Sustainability Conference in October.

The meeting was attended by senior officials from both sides, including the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhry, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Commerce Mir Jam Kamal Khan and Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja.