Pakistan, Germany sign technical cooperation agreement

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Germany on Thursday signed an agreement for technical assistance under the Pakistan-Germany Development Programme worth 23.4 million Euro (PKR 3.9 billion).

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar witnessed the signing ceremony of the Technical Cooperation Agreement with the Government of Federal Republic of Germany.

Economic Affairs Division Secretary Noor Ahmed and Ambassador of Germany to Pakistan Bernhard Stephan Schlagheck signed the agreement. Technical assistance will be extended to projects in the area of social protection, technical and vocational education, support for local governance and improvement of labour and social standards in Pakistan’s textile industry.

These schemes are in line with the priority areas of the Government of Pakistan and are geared towards impacting the lives of the common people.

The two sides emphasised cordial relations between Germany and Pakistan and looked forward to strengthening their cooperation. They highlighted the importance of actively collaborating in finalisation of project objectives to ensure that concerns of the end beneficiaries are addressed.

The minister thanked the German government for assistance especially in priority areas highlighted by the Government of Pakistan.

He opined that the technical assistance from Germany must be used for maximum benefit of the people of Pakistan and thus, all-out measures should be taken to make cost-effective expenditure with greater reliance on using local resources.