ISLAMABAD, Jan 26: Pakistan and India should learn a lesson from peace treaties between different nations and resolve their disputes because they cannot progress without transforming their decades-old enmity into a long-lasting friendship.

This was stated by participants of a conference organised by the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR), Quaid-i-Azam University, in connection with the 50th anniversary of the “Elysee Treaty” signed by France and Germany.

The two countries entered into the treaty in 1963 to end their differences that started after World War II and move towards diplomatic cooperation and peace building.

The objective of the conference was to resolve tension between India and Pakistan in the light of historic treaties between different nations.

Speaking on the occasion, French Ambassador Philippe Thiebaud termed the treaty “a clear political commitment” with the identification of main areas of cooperation between the two countries such as foreign affairs, defence, education and youth.

“The Elysee Treaty played a vital role in creation of European Union and now France and Germany represent 33 per cent of the EU population, 36 per cent of the European budget, 37 per cent of the EU GDP and 31 per cent of the voting rights. In the past a few months, the two states have been working together along with the other European countries to overcome the Eurozone crisis,” said the ambassador.

Ambassador of Germany Dr Cyrill Nunn said regional integration not only lessened the probability of war between neighbours but also increased cooperation, mutual understanding and peace.

He said: “The German companies today employ 320,000 people in France, and French companies have about 285,000 employees on their payroll in Germany. More than eight million students have participated in programmes through creation of the French-German Youth Office and over 61,000 students benefited from the exchange programmes in 2011 alone.”

QAU Vice Chancellor Prof Masoom Yasinzai said this example can serve as an inspiration for countries like India and Pakistan which share a similar history of conflict like that of European states in the 19th and 20th century. “In South Asia, the Elysee Treaty provides us a realistic model to improve relations between India and Pakistan,” he said.