The embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany on Thursday hosted a garden reception to celebrate the German Unity Day showcasing the German values of togetherness, harmony and hospitality.
Hosted by the newly-arrived Ambassador Ina Lepel the reception saw eminent personalities and dignitaries in attendance.
Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar was the Chief Guest on the occasion. The guests including parliamentarians, dignitaries, EU countries’ diplomats, Ukraine Ambassador, Markian Chuchuk, UN Resident Coordinator Mohamed Yahya, senior officials of the Foreign Office, armed forces, representatives of academia, civil society, chambers of commerce and media greeted Ambassador Ina Lepel and her team on the auspicious occasion and enjoyed themselves the melodious tunes of the Pakistani band RockLite.
Tarar on behalf of the people and the government of Pakistan congratulated the ambassador and the German nationals on the momentous occasion marking the Unity Day of the Federal Republic of Germany.
“Today we mark 35 years of the great unification when the people of Germany got together and gave the world a message of hope, resilience, aspiration and dreams how they can rise in the face of worst odds,” said Tarar.
Pakistan, he said had remarkable relations with Germany since 1951 when the two countries established diplomatic bond. We are working closely in a number of areas including trade, energy, vocational training, education, health and climate resilience and remain indebted to the government of the Federal Republic of Germany for development of industrial and social sector in Pakistan. Germany he said has been a reliable partner to Pakistan over the decade. “When it comes to Germans, actions speak louder than words,” said Federal Minister Attaullah Tarar. He called Germany one of the most reliable partners in development and uplift of social sector of Pakistan, he said.
Earlier in her welcome address, Ms Ina Lepel gave the brief background of the Fall of Berlin Wall saying the fall of Berlin Wall was an historic moment seized by the late Chancellor of the West Germany Helmut Kohl who walked through one of the gates of the fallen wall to unite East Germany (then under occupation of the Soviet Union). Since its unification, Germany has been building strong ties with friends and partners across the globe and Pakistan is one of these friends, she said. Ina Lepel to the pleasant surprise of the audience recited a couplet by Allama Iqbal who as a university student in German town of Heidelberg wrote a poem ‘Aik Sham’ or An Evening sitting on the bank of the Neckar. Since 1961, Germany has invested in development cooperation in Pakistan, she said.
