ISLAMABAD – Hailing Pakistan’s role in the process of reconciliation and integration for peace in Afghanistan, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said on Saturday that the solution to the crisis in Afghanistan is political and not military. “We support the process of integration and reconciliation for peace in Afghanistan. It is our common interest to have stability there,” German Foreign Minister said while answering questions of reporters in a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
When asked about how Germany could help Pakistan and India in resolving the dispute over Kashmir, Westerwelle said both countries should resolve all their outstanding disputes through dialogue. Clarifying a statement, allegedly attributed to German chancellor, the German foreign minister said his government recognized that Pakistan rendered tremendous sacrifices in its anti-terror efforts.
“I do not know how the statement of the chancellor was misunderstood in Pakistan, but let me make clear that Germany recognizes that Pakistan made significant contribution and sacrifices in the war against terror,” Westerwelle said. He further added that Germany would continue supporting the governments of both Afghanistan and Pakistan in their efforts of fighting terror in the region. “We appreciate the efforts of Pakistan and Afghanistan in fighting terror and you have friends in Germany who support you”, the German minister said. The German foreign minister also said that Transit Trade Agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan was a significant development.
Answering another question that German should help Pakistan in promoting trade, Guido Westerwelle said that German will help Pakistan in accessing European markets. When asked that the German government should ease its rules to provide Pakistan military assistance and equipments for making war on terror more effective, the German Foreign Minister, who is also deputy chancellor, said that his country had strict rules regarding the export of arms and military equipments.
