16 October 2004	Saturday	01 Ramazan 1425

ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khusro Bakhtiyar Friday urged German government to invest in training Pakistanis in various sectors particularly in the field of information technology.

He was talking to a six-member delegation of the development committee of the German parliament who called on him to discuss various aspects of bilateral, regional and international matters of mutual interest.

The state minister briefed the German delegation on the improved business environment in Pakistan and expressed the hope that the existing bilateral trade would be further augmented to a desired level commensurate with the existing cordial relations between the two countries.

He appreciated Germany's engagement in South Asia and the leading role it has played in Europe and in shaping the structure of an enlarged European Union. He hoped the German development committee would make recommendations to further increase development cooperation with Pakistan and consider contributing more through grants and assistance instead of loans.

He also apprised the delegation on the peace process in South Asia. The German parliamentarians appreciated the government's economic policies and assured that Germany would contribute to the prosperity of the people of Pakistan and the peace process in South Asia.

They also proposed to facilitate transfer of technical know-how through establishment of linkages between the technical universities of Germany and Pakistan.

There was also a need to establish technical institutes as joint ventures that could not only teach technical skills but also German language to enable the graduates of such institutes to serve the German multinational companies in Pakistan. -APP