It is important to note that Pakistan and Germany have enjoyed warm friendly relations since the establishment of their diplomatic ties in 1951. Pakistan was one of the first Asian countries to establish relations with Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). These relations are based on shared values of democracy, pluralism, and respect for human rights, cultural and religious diversity and economic liberalism. Ever since their inception in 1951, Pakistan-Germany relations have been on an upward trajectory. In 1959, the two countries signed the world’s first bilateral investment treaty. The two countries also entered financial cooperation in 1961 as West Germany became a member of the consortium of countries providing development assistance to Pakistan. In 1962, the two sides established a Pakistan-German Forum. An important part of these relations is the 70,000 strong Pakistani Diasporas in Germany. Pakistan is an interesting market which cannot be ignored in the long-run by multinational companies. Germany is the fourth largest economic power in the world. Moreover, it is Pakistan’s 5th largest trading partner in the world and leading trading partner in the European Union (EU) with trade surplus on a positive trend approximately three billion dollars’ worth of trade. With its growing interest in world affairs, Germany is already considered the leader of EU and increasingly the whole Europe (with Russia being a Eurasian power). The trade between the two countries has been growing steadily for the past many years with many German companies having their operations in Pakistan. Textile, sports and surgical products have been a vital part of the bilateral trade between the two states with annual visits by large Pakistani delegations to fairs held in cities such as Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich. The GSP-plus status provided to Pakistan in 2014 by the EU has also had positive impact on economic production that helped boost exports. While Pakistan’s own exports have weakened since recent years internationally, they have been on an upward path in Germany. All these achievements might never be possible without the efforts at diplomatic level.
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