Mr. Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs witnessed the signing ceremony of Technical Cooperation Agreement with the Government of Federal Republic of Germany. Mr. Noor Ahmed, Secretary, Economic Affairs Division and H.E Mr. Bernhard Stephan Schlagheck, the Ambassador of Germany to Pakistan, signed an agreement for technical assistance under the Pakistan-Germany Development Programme worth Euro 23.4 Million, equivalent to PKR 3.9 Billion.

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

Development cooperation between Pakistan and Germany dates back to 1961, with the funding volume to date totaling more than Euro 3 Billion. The contracting parties emphasized cordial relations between Germany and Pakistan and looked forward to strengthening their cooperation. Both sides highlighted the importance of actively collaborating in finalization of project objectives to ensure that concerns of the end beneficiaries are addressed.

Mr. Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs thanked the German Government for the grant 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 thus, all out measures should be taken to make cost effective expenditure with greater reliance on using local resources. He said Government of Pakistan honours and appreciates technical cooperation from the Government of Federal Republic of Germany and looks forward to strengthening bilateral relations in future.