Muhammad Asad
ISLAMABAD: The International Community must remain engaged in Afghanistan through humanitarian assistance, so economic collapse could not take place in the war hit country. It was observed by the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Qureshi said that German Foreign Minister is visiting Pakistan on his invitation to witness the ongoing efforts for consensus political setup in Afghanistan and challenges in the way forward.
Qureshi said that Pakistan desires a stable, prosperous, and progressive Afghanistan and supporting all initiatives to achieve this destiny.
While discussing the current influx of Afghan refugees in the country, Qureshi told his counterpart that Pakistani border crossings with Afghanistan are open for Afghan refugees and trade between the two countries. According to Qureshi, despite hosting more than 3 million Afghan refugees over last four decades, Pakistan is open for the people of Afghanistan. He said Pakistan has been providing all necessities of live to Afghan refugees including education and health care facilities. During press conference with German counterpart, Qureshi informed the media men that Germany remained an important investor and largest trading partner of Pakistan.
According to Qureshi, 35 German companies are successfully working in Pakistan and there is great potential of bilateral trade and investment in the fields of IT, Construction, energy and vehicle manufacturing in Pakistan. He noted that the newly established Special Economic Zones under CPEC provide great investment opportunities to the German investors and businesses giants, have financial dividends for both nations.
Qureshi thanked for German’s supportive role in Pakistan’s GSP Plus status in EU market. He also expressed satisfaction over exemplary defence ties between Germany and Pakistan. While speaking to the occasion German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas thanked government of Pakistan for helping in evacuation of German citizens and nationals of other countries from Afghanistan.
Maas said that Germany supports formation of a broad based and inclusive government in Afghanistan, which is essential for peace in the region. He said that it is important that those Afghans who did not support the Taliban should feel represented in new setup, so no one has complaints against future government of the Country.
Heiko informed the journalists that German government is formulating a strategy on Afghanistan and will resume flights to Kabul after peace revisualized in the country.
While commenting regarding current wave of Afghan refugees, German Foreign Minister said that Germany would need a mechanism to receive the eligible Afghan nationals into its country in the days to come.
