Germany-Pakistan ties deepen through climate, education partnerships, ambassador says

ISLAMABAD: Germany and Pakistan are expanding cooperation in climate action, education and development partnerships, even as both countries seek to reinvigorate trade and investment ties, German Ambassador to Pakistan Ina Lepel said in an exclusive interview with Pakistan TV Digital.

Lepel, currently serving her third posting in Pakistan, described bilateral relations as broadly positive with active political engagement and growing people-to-people connections.

“Overall the trajectory is going in a good direction,” she said, noting that the two countries maintain regular high-level contact.

She added that Pakistan and Germany share a commitment to international cooperation and rule-based global governance.

“We depend on a reliable international world order that is governed by rules and not by the law of the strongest,” Lepel said. “That’s why we are both big friends of multilateralism.”

Climate cooperation expanding

Germany’s development partnership with Pakistan is increasingly focused on climate and energy transition, the ambassador said, highlighting a €114 million commitment announced late last year for climate-related cooperation and other development initiatives.

According to Lepel, climate action offers both countries an opportunity to strengthen long-term economic competitiveness while addressing a global challenge.

“Climate change does not stop at borders and we don’t get to negotiate with the planet,” she said. “The planet follows the law of physics, so this is a global challenge we have to tackle together.”

Germany is supporting several climate-related initiatives across Pakistan, including rebuilding flood-affected homes in Balochistan using climate-resilient methods and improving freshwater access in Punjab.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Berlin is also contributing to forest restoration efforts linked to a provincial tree-planting initiative.

Lepel said community participation is key to ensuring such environmental projects succeed.

“Planting the forest is the easy part,” she said. “Without taking the local communities along it’s very difficult to keep it.”

Education links growing

Educational exchange remains one of the fastest-growing areas of bilateral engagement, with nearly 10,000 Pakistani students currently studying in Germany, according to Lepel.

She said Germany has digitalized its student visa application system to improve transparency and processing times, while the growing availability of English-language programs is making German universities more accessible to international students.

“The attractiveness of studying in Germany just is growing so much,” she said.

Lepel also encouraged prospective Pakistani students to rely on official information portals rather than private education agents.

“It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on agencies,” she said. “If you just Google ‘study in Germany’ you come to a very accessible and intuitive portal where people are guided through all the universities.”

Trade potential yet to be realized

While political dialogue and development cooperation remain strong, the ambassador acknowledged that trade and investment between the two countries have not grown as quickly as other areas of partnership.

“The numbers in terms of trade are pretty much the same when I left eight years ago,” Lepel said, adding that improving the ease of doing business could help attract greater foreign investment.

Pakistan’s large market, young population and strategic geographic location remain significant advantages for potential investors, she noted.

“There are quite a few German companies that have a presence in Pakistan,” she said. “Hopefully as ease of business improves we can build on that.”

Opportunities in innovation and diversification

Lepel said changing global economic dynamics are prompting German companies to diversify supply chains and explore new markets — a trend that could create opportunities for Pakistan.

“We have learned the hard way that it’s not a good idea to be unilaterally dependent on any one partner,” she said.

She also pointed to Pakistan’s innovative talent pool as a potential area for collaboration in research and development.

“I have really met amazing people who are very innovative, creative, resourceful and agile,” she said.

Energy efficiency and sustainable building technologies are additional areas where German expertise could support Pakistan’s transition toward a low-carbon economy, Lepel added.

“The best energy is the energy we have never used,” she said, highlighting opportunities in building insulation and energy-saving infrastructure.

Despite global economic uncertainty, the ambassador expressed optimism about the future direction of bilateral relations.

“There is a positive mood,” she said. “People are taking more of an interest in how things go in Pakistan.”