BERLIN: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has announced that Pakistan will soon open a consulate in Munich for economic purposes.
While talking to the media in the German capital on Tuesday, FM Qureshi said Pakistan and Germany had high prospects of collaboration in trade and investment and expressed confidence that the new consulate would accelerate development in this regard.
Qureshi said a consul general would be appointed at the Munich mission to supplement the diplomatic efforts of the embassy in Berlin, adding that Pakistan was committed to working out the Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP) of Europe.
FM Qureshi said efforts would be made to expand the scope of cooperation in the education sector by engaging Higher Education Commission (HEC) so that Germany could become a top destination for Pakistani students.
Pakistan could explore cooperation with Germany particularly in areas of information technology, solar energy and electric vehicles, he added. He expressed satisfaction that around 4,000 Pakistani students were presently studying at various educational institutions in Germany.
In a meeting with a representative delegation of the Pakistani diaspora in Germany later in the day, he said the government was making serious efforts to give the right of vote to the Pakistanis living abroad.
He said the option of electronic voting was under consideration to facilitate the expatriates. Qureshi also acknowledged the services of the Pakistani community, terming it an important linkage for strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
He mentioned that the government had launched the Roshan Digital Pakistan project for easy transfer of money through legal means. The foreign minister also visited the Pakistan embassy in Berlin where Ambassador Dr Muhammad Faisal received him.
The FM inaugurated a Football Enclave at the embassy, marking the export of 50 million footballs from Pakistan to Germany annually. The Foreign Minister, who left for Pakistan with a delegation after completing his two-day visit to Germany on Tuesday evening.
