Islamabad : Franco-German partnership for the last eighty years since the end of the World War II has served as a lesson for politicians and leaders of hostile neighbouring countries how enemies of yesterday can become friends and close partners today through political dialogue and exchanges in diverse sectors such as education, culture, business and tourism etc.
Diplomats, academics, and representatives from European missions marked 80 years of German-French reconciliation at an event in Federal Capital. The discussion highlighted how two former rivals built a partnership that helped drive Europe’s political, economic, and regional integration.
Speakers noted that France and Germany now account for 40% of the EU’s GDP and one-third of its population. Opening the session.
Ambassador of France, Nicolas Galey, the German envoy Ina Lepel, the EU ambassador in Pakistan, Raimundas Karoblis, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Afkar-e-Taza Thinkfest, Dr. Yaqoob Bangash also spoke on the occasion and discussed various aspects of the Franco-German cooperation and its larger role in the European unification.
Attended by a large number of ambassadors, high commissioners, diplomats, experts of the international affairs and above all university students, the event highlighted the need for concrete cooperation, economic resurgence and involvement of youth in efforts to forget the animosities putting behind the past rivalry and thus marching towards shared prosperity.
Another highlight of the event was a discussion led by Associate Professor and Jean Monnet Chair in European Studies, Natioal University of Modern languages (NUML) Prof Dr Riaz Shad, President IRS Amb Jauhar Saleem, QAU Professor Dr Mujtaba Ali Isaani and Prof Dr Salma Malik ( QAU).
These views were expressed by speakers at an academic colloquium “German-French Reconciliation and European Unification – 80 Years of a Continuing Success Story” organized by Afkar-e-Taza ThinkFest.
Ambassador France covered the historical, political and economic dividends of the Franco-German partnership saying the enduring Franco-German friendship remains an essential force for Europe. Our two economies represent 40pc of the EU’s GDP and our two populations, one-third of the Union’s populations, he said.
He also mentioned various programmes meant for youth of the two countries such as the Franco-German Youth Office, the Erasmus Programme that later inspired Erasmus Mundus of which Pakistani students are the first beneficiaries int the world. These projects, the ambassador said have embodied Europe, made it more independent and given it an identity and economic strength as the world’s largest single market.
French Ambassador also mentioned the Franco-German HR Prize and quoted the Pakistani recipients Mrs Sarah Belal in 2016 and Nayyab Ali in 2020 for their remarkable commitment against the death penalty and for minority rights respectively.
German ambassador Ina Lepel said the two former archenemies France and Germany put a particular emphasis on their reconciliation and concluded a Friendship Treaty in 1963, the document which marks their bilateral relations until today.
She was of the view that common French and German efforts have played a key role in deepening the European integration and the EU enlargement to overcome the division of the European continent. “Until this day, other member states expect our two countries to merge our efforts for the benefit of all the 27 European Union Members,” she said. She expressed gratitude to the ThinkFest as well as Dr. Muhammad Riaz Shad and Ambassador Jauhar Saleem for their guidance in the Colloquium on German-French Reconciliation and the European Unification.
EU ambassador in Pakistan, Raimundas Karoblis address the ceremony said, I thank the ambassadors of France and Germany for the invitation to the event marking the 80th anniversary of the Franco German reconciliation.
You continue to be here as the representative of the delegation of the European Union, as you know, which is the political entity whose recreation is due to the collaboration and long standing historical, long standing historical arrivals, France and Germany, we cannot forget about the lessons which arose out of the troubled boss of the 20th century, which plunged a whole continent into powers and misery, censures of enmity between European nations, including the historic prank for German railway, which caused devastation and destruction, forced European leaders to think about a durable solution to prevent tensions and conflicts. In this way, the first solid foundation of the European integration were laid thanks to the ingenuity of the founding fathers of the European Union, including French and German politicians and visionaries, an institutional framework was devised to make war between France and Germany not only unthinkable, but also materially impossible.
As you are all aware, the European Union, which, over decades, evolved into a success story in terms of regional, economic and political integration, is not a miraculous remedy for all problems that Europe and the world has to deal with, nevertheless, it has been the best mechanism invented to prevent large scale conflicts on the European continent, to foster reconciliation and to promote stability and cooperation well beyond its borders.
We are glad to have both trans and German as key pillars and driving forces of European integration, thanks to which our continent can thrive in peace.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
