Brainstorming Research Ideas: Pakistan-Europe Relations

Measures like
Kartarpur corridor can open new avenues for peace in South Asia: EU
Deputy Head of Mission to Pakistan

If the Berlin Wall
can fall, relations between Pakistan and India can also improve with time. The
opening of the Kartarpur Corridor is a step in the right direction in this
regard and other such measures can lead to a better and peaceful future for
South Asia.

These were the
views expressed by Anne Marchal, Deputy Head of Mission, Delegation of the
European Union to Pakistan, while responding to questions in an interactive
session titled ‘Brainstorming Research Ideas: Pakistan-Europe Relations’, which
was organized by IPS on November 14, 2019 as part of its initiative of
‘Indigenizing Policy Research in Pakistan’.

The speaker
discussed the present state of relations between the EU and Pakistan at length
during the session. She revealed that the bloc and Pakistan have signed an
engagement plan to enhance cooperation in the areas of security, development,
technology and education, whereas the EU has been working with Pakistan to
prevent and stop illegal migration.

Marchal also
underscored the need for increased cooperation and understanding between
Pakistan and the EU, suggesting that the think tanks from European countries
and Pakistan should play a greater role in enhancing mutual understanding by
working together for the objective. She also stressed that knowledge sharing
between academics and students must also be facilitated from all sides.

Responding to a
question on the Kashmir issue, Marchal acknowledged that the European Union
lawmakers who were recently allowed by India to visit the Kashmir valley did so
in their individual capacities and not on an official trip. 

Speaking about
other important global issues, the speaker said that the EU fully supports the
peace process in Afghanistan as well as Iran’s non-proliferation deal, as it
strongly endorses universalization and full implementation and enforcement of
multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation for global peace.

Marchal earlier
presented an overview of the EU global strategy, sharing its shared vision and
common action for a stronger Europe. She maintained that the goal of the
strategy was to work towards a rule-based global system instead of adopting a
Europe-centric approach, and the way forward for that would be to strengthen the
bloc’s multilateral engagement with other countries of the world.