KARACHI, Feb 14: German Ambassador to Pakistan Cyrill Jean Nunn discussed a range of subjects related to the bilateral relationship between his country and Pakistan, including the cultural, political and economic dimensions, at a talk held at Frere Hall here on Thursday.

The programme was jointly organised by the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations and the Pakistan German Business Forum.

Amb Nunn, who had previously served in Islamabad in 1988, said there existed a “deep-rooted” relationship between Pakistan and Germany. As proof of this he cited Allama Mohammad Iqbal’s sojourn in Germany as well as Dr Iqbal’s interest in German thinkers, while he also mentioned German scholar Dr Annemarie Schimmel’s “dedication to Pakistan”.

The ambassador said that “when others reduced their presence in Karachi” the Goethe-Institut, Germany’s cultural centre, remained open “despite the challenges. The two countries have never been opponents and do not share a history of conflict”.

The diplomat observed that in times of crisis, such as during 2010’s devastating floods in Pakistan, both the German state as well as private citizens came forward to help the affected people, adding that his country has regularly contributed to the development sector in Pakistan.

Among the major sectors Germany works with in Pakistan include energy, health and governance. “Germany considers trade the best form of cooperation between countries”, he said, adding that there was a “huge market” in Pakistan. However, the German ambassador cautioned that Pakistan needs to address security and energy issues in order to attract foreign investment. He observed that within the European Union, Germany had the biggest share of trade with Islamabad. “Germany has an interest in seeing the EU engage with Pakistan.”

Amb Nunn said that around 2,000 Pakistani students were currently studying in German institutes of higher learning, “following in the footsteps of Allama Iqbal”. He added that university education is free in the majority of German states.

Coming to the political framework, the German envoy reminded the audience that his country and Pakistan had signed a strategic partnership agreement last year, and that this meant pursuing a “pragmatic and issue-driven agenda”. He described Pakistan as a “regional power” and said that without this country there could not be peace in this region.

Commenting on the recent flare-up with India over the reported killing of troops across the Line of Control, Amb Nunn said Pakistan displayed a “mature response” in reaction to the crisis and that it was well-received in the EU. As for Afghanistan, the ambassador said that while his country currently had around 4,500 troops in Pakistan’s western neighbour, these forces would pull out with the other Isaf forces at the end of 2014. “However, we will continue to remain committed to stability in Afghanistan”, he observed.