KARACHI : Franco-German Friendship is a model for regional relations between the neighbouring countries like Pakistan and India. These views were expressed by a German expert Ingo Espenschied while speaking on “Franco-German Friendship as a model for Pakistan and India” on occasion of the century of the end of the First World War at a ceremony organised by Centre for Peace, Security and Development Studies Foreign Relations *CPSD) in collaboration with German Consulate here. Ingo Espenschied said “Germany and France were traditional enemies”. The World War I was the result of many differences and disputed matters between the two European nations.
The situation changed after World War II and the people from both sides realized war is not solution of their problems. He pointed out bilateral relations between the two traditional enemies established in 1951 when they sign an agreement of coal and steel trade. Soon after six European nations including Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg joined hands on a single platform. It was the first European regional alliance that later expanded to 28 European countries of European Union, he said. He said the European Union was an alliance of 28 countries for peace, development and prosperity in the region. He said the establishment of European Union was the success story that could be followed by other countries like Pakistan and India. The German Consul General in Karachi Eugen Wollfarth, Ahsan Mukhtar Zubairi, Abdullah Dadabhoy and others also spoke on this occasion while Consul General of France Didier Talpain, Consular Attache Economic and Political Affairs of Germany Ingolf Vogel, Coordinator for Cultural Affairs Germany Aisha Abdul Qayyum, Farooq Afzal, a large number of people from different walks of life attended the program.
