ISLAMABAD: German Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck said on Monday that two delegations from water and sanitation as well as agriculture sectors of his country would visit Pakistan soon to explore business collaborations with their Pakistani counterparts.
He said Pak-German bilateral trade volume was worth over 3 billion euros with the trade balance in the favour of Pakistan, adding that Germany wanted to further enhance its trade relations with Pakistan.
Interacting with the business community at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI), Schlagheck said Pakistan was mostly exporting textiles, leather products and surgical instruments to Germany and that it could further diversify its export products to enhance bilateral trade.
The ambassador was hopeful that Pakistan would get good news regarding extension in the GSP Plus status from the European Union (EU), as that would further improve the country’s exports.
“Over 280 Pakistani companies participated in the Heimtextil 2020 International Trade Fair held recently in Frankfurt (Germany), which was record participation. The companies of both countries should actively participate in each other’s trade fairs to further enhance bilateral trade and business relations,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, ICCI President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed apprised the German envoy about possible business and investment opportunities in Pakistan.
He said German investors should come to Pakistan with their advanced technology to produce value-added products that could boost Pakistan’s exports.
Waheed said Pakistan provided easy access to the Central Asian countries while CPEC offered great potential to foreign investors, stressing the German investors to take benefit of these opportunities by investing in Pakistan.
He said IT and pharmaceutical sectors were other potential areas for mutual cooperation between the two countries.
Founder Group Chairman Mian Akram Farid said German auto companies should explore setting up manufacturing plants in Pakistan as its quality vehicles could find a good market in Pakistan.
