Shizza Jasmin

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. &ldquo;Overall the trajectory is going in a good direction,&rdquo; 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. &ldquo;We depend on a reliable international world order that is governed by rules and not by the law of the strongest,&rdquo; Lepel said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we are both big friends of multilateralism.&rdquo; Climate cooperation expandingGermany&rsquo;s development partnership with Pakistan is increasingly focused on climate and energy transition, the ambassador said, highlighting a &euro;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. &ldquo;Climate change does not stop at borders and we don&rsquo;t get to negotiate with the planet,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The planet follows the law of physics, so this is a global challenge we have to tackle together.&rdquo; 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. &ldquo;Planting the forest is the easy part,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Without taking the local communities along it&rsquo;s very difficult to keep it.&rdquo; Education links growingEducational 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. &ldquo;The attractiveness of studying in Germany just is growing so much,&rdquo; she said. Lepel also encouraged prospective Pakistani students to rely on official information portals rather than private education agents. &ldquo;It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on agencies,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;If you just Google &lsquo;study in Germany&rsquo; you come to a very accessible and intuitive portal where people are guided through all the universities.&rdquo; Trade potential yet to be realizedWhile 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. &ldquo;The numbers in terms of trade are pretty much the same when I left eight years ago,&rdquo; Lepel said, adding that improving the ease of doing business could help attract greater foreign investment. Pakistan&rsquo;s large market, young population and strategic geographic location remain significant advantages for potential investors, she noted. &ldquo;There are quite a few German companies that have a presence in Pakistan,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Hopefully as ease of business improves we can build on that.&rdquo; Opportunities in innovation and diversificationLepel said changing global economic dynamics are prompting German companies to diversify supply chains and explore new markets &mdash; a trend that could create opportunities for Pakistan. &ldquo;We have learned the hard way that it&rsquo;s not a good idea to be unilaterally dependent on any one partner,&rdquo; she said. She also pointed to Pakistan&rsquo;s innovative talent pool as a potential area for collaboration in research and development. &ldquo;I have really met amazing people who are very innovative, creative, resourceful and agile,&rdquo; she said. Energy efficiency and sustainable building technologies are additional areas where German expertise could support Pakistan&rsquo;s transition toward a low-carbon economy, Lepel added. &ldquo;The best energy is the energy we have never used,&rdquo; 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. &ldquo;There is a positive mood,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;People are taking more of an interest in how things go in Pakistan.&rdquo;

Foreign Affairs

In a wide-ranging interview to Pakistan TV Digital, German Ambassador to Pakistan Ina Lepel says Pakistan-Germany relations are progressing through climate cooperation, education links and political engagement, while noting untapped potential in trade, investment and innovation partnerships.

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

BEIJING: China&#39;s foreign minister told his French and German counterparts that Beijing was not to blame for Europe&#39;s economic and security problems as he pushed for more cooperation at a summit in Munich, a foreign ministry statement said Saturday.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-hails-coming-of-multipolar-world-ahead-of-trumpxi-talks" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wang Yi</a> made the comments at a meeting with France&#39;s Jean-Noel Barrot and Germany&#39;s Johann Wadephul on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday.&nbsp;He sought to promote China as a reliable partner of the European Union at a time when the bloc is trying to reduce its dependence on both Beijing and an increasingly unpredictable Washington.&nbsp;&quot;China&#39;s development is an opportunity for Europe, and Europe&#39;s challenges do not come from China,&quot; Wang said, according to the statement.&nbsp;Warning that &quot;unilateralism, protectionism, and power politics&quot; were on the rise globally, he said he hoped Europe would &quot;pursue a rational and pragmatic policy towards China&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;The two sides are partners, not adversaries; interdependence is not a risk; intertwined interests are not a threat; and open cooperation will not harm security.&quot;&nbsp;The meeting came against the backdrop of trade tensions between the two giant economies and disputes over what the EU sees as China&#39;s support for Russia&#39;s war in Ukraine.&nbsp;The EU is seeking to cut its reliance on China for strategic goods like rare earths while also rebalancing a trade relationship that sees it run a large deficit with the world&#39;s second-largest economy.&nbsp;In recent years, the two sides have clashed over Chinese electric-vehicle exports, which Brussels argues are based on unfair subsidies and threaten Europe&#39;s car industry, and Chinese tariffs on EU goods ranging from cheese to cognac.&nbsp;Wang urged&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/germany-blames-russia-for-cyberattack-on-air-safety-election-interference" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Germany</a>&nbsp;and France to help &quot;give a clear direction for the development of China-Europe relations&quot;.&nbsp;In a separate meeting with Wadephul, also on Friday, Wang touted economic and trade cooperation as &quot;the cornerstone of China-Germany ties&quot;, according to a foreign ministry readout.&nbsp;Wang also met Britain&#39;s foreign minister, Yvette Cooper, telling her that Beijing and London should &quot;explore more potential for cooperation&quot;, while the two sides also discussed Ukraine and Iran.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) attends a bilateral meeting with the US Secretary of State (not in picture) in Munich, on February 13, 2026, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). (Photo: AFP)China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) at

Asia

Wang Yi makes the comments at a meeting with France's Jean-Noel Barrot and Germany's Johann Wadephul on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday.


China FM tells EU diplomats not to blame Beijing for bloc's problems

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The German ambassador to Bangladesh, Dr R&uuml;diger Lotz, paid a courtesy call on Dr Shafiqur Rahman, head of Bangladesh&#39;s largest religious political party, Jamaat-e-Islami, at the party&rsquo;s Basundhara office on Tuesday, state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) reported. The meeting took place in a cordial and friendly atmosphere, according to a press release issued by Jamaat-e-Islami. During the discussion, the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election was described as extremely important for Bangladesh. The Jamaat head, or Ameer, Dr Shafiqur Rahman, sought Germany&rsquo;s cooperation and necessary technical assistance to help ensure that the election is held in a free, fair, and credible manner, the press release said. The two sides also discussed the protection of women&rsquo;s rights in Bangladesh, the enhancement of professional skills in the workplace, and the overall development of women. The Jamaat leader expressed the expectation of continued German support in these areas, BSS reported. Both sides held constructive discussions on establishing sustainable democracy in Bangladesh and further strengthening democratic institutions. They also expressed optimism that bilateral trade, investment, and economic cooperation between Bangladesh and Germany would expand further, BSS reported. Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General and Central Publicity and Media Chief Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair and the party&rsquo;s Foreign Affairs Adviser Professor Dr Mahamudul Hasan were also present at the meeting, according to BSS.

Bangladesh

The German ambassador to Bangladesh met with Jamaat-e-Islami chief Dr Shafiqur Rahman in Dhaka to discuss the importance of the upcoming national election, democratic development, and women’s empowerment; he also highlighted prospects for stronger trade and economic cooperation between Bangladesh and Germany.

Articles tagged with "German Ambassador"

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

China FM tells EU diplomats not to blame Beijing for bloc's problems

German ambassador pays courtesy call on Bangladeshi Jamaat chief: State media

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