*LAHORE:* Federal Republic of Germany Ambassador to Pakistan Martin Kobler while addressing a ceremony recently held by Roshan Packages Limited (RPL) here, dismissed all unfair perceptions of unfavourable security conditions in Pakistan.
He said that when he first came to Lahore, instead of using a car, he took a train from the Rawalpindi Railway Station to reach the city costing him a mere Rs700. This, however, goes against the image of Pakistan that is portrayed abroad in an unfair manner, and does not reflect reality, the German ambassador added, stressing the need for politicians from both sides to work on improving the perception.
Making comparison between Pakistan and India he said that there is a lot that needs to be done in the country to increase trade and investment as the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Germany, even though being a positive $2.6 billion, is still low.
He said that examples of best practices like RPL transmit a positive message to the world that things are possible in Pakistan. Currently, 28 per cent of all Pakistan’s exports goes to the European Union (EU) with the United States and China having a 10 and 9 per cent share in Pakistan’s exports respectively, which make EU Pakistan’s natural trade partner outside the region. After the implementation of GSP Plus, Pakistan’s exports to EU have risen to 38 per cent, which the German ambassador termed as a good sign.