LAHORE, Dec 13: Minister Counsellor of Germany in Islamabad, Gunter Overfeld on Friday said the volume of trade between Pakistan and Germany had registered an increase of 3 per cent in the first five months of the current fiscal year despite difficult times due to post-Sept 11 scenario.

“It is mainly due to the fact that German firms did not cancel the import orders unlike other western nations in the post-Sept 11 situation; secondly, Pakistani textile industry imported a big quantity of machinery for BMR purposes,” he told newsmen at a local hotel.

He said Pakistan German trade experienced an increase of 12 per cent during the fiscal year 2000-01.

“Exports from Pakistan rose by 2.6 per cent while imports from Germany increased by 23 per cent,” he said.

He said Pakistan-German economic ties were growing steadily in different sectors, including textiles and leather goods.

Responding to a question regarding the Airbus issue, he said Airbus company had participated in the bid for the sale of new aircraft to the PIA. However, it was not a successful bidder as Pakistani airlines preferred to have contract with Boeing of the United States.

“The issue was taken up by the governments of France, United Kingdom and Germany in individual capacity with the Pakistani government; the matter was not taken up at European Union level,” the diplomat clarified.

He said Airbus had offered a comparatively better offer to PIA viz-a-viz the competitors.—APP