Islamabad: The Delegation of the European
Union to Pakistan organised an event to
send off the largest ever group of Pakistani
students recipient of scholarship funded by
the Erasmus+ programme.
This academic year, no less than 100
students, about half of them young women,
were selected through Erasmus+, the EU
flagship scholarship programme to pursue
their studies in Europe.
Pakistani students, representing all parts
of the country and hailing from various
backgrounds, engaged in disciplines ranging
from communication, development, to
applied sciences including engineering,
robotics, and computer sciences, will
be attending master level courses in 17
countries: This year students will be
going to 17 different European countries
including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic,
Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France,
Hungary, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands,
Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Slovenia and
the UK. Speaking at the event held at the
EU Residence, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Anne
Marchal said: “there is nothing more
rewarding for a diplomat than interacting
with students and youth in Pakistan.
They are the future of their country and I
hope that the Erasmus+ scholarships will
equip them to contribute in their own way
to the development of Pakistan as well as
forging a better mutual understanding
across regions and cultures.”
2019 is a special year for the EU-Pakistan
relations as, further to the visit of the High
Representative Federica Mogherini to
Islamabad and the return visit of Foreign
Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to
Brussels, a new “Strategic Engagement Plan”
(SEP) has been signed, giving a new impetus
to the bilateral partnership, deepening
political relations and cooperation.
A whole section of the SEP is dedicated to
enhancing partnerships in higher education,
including academic exchanges such as
those offered through scholarships and
fellowships funded under the Erasmus+
programme and the Marie Sklodowska
Curie Actions.
Tunisian Ambassador meets President Alvi
Islamabad: Pakistan highly valued its close
relations of friendship with Tunisia, based
on shared faith, culture and heritage, said
President Dr. Arif Alvi, while talking to
the Outgoing Ambassador of Tunisia, Mr.
Adel Elarbi, who paid farewell call on him
at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad.
Pakistan and Tunisia have common
interests on various international issues,
which is reflected in their common stance
at international fora, he added. The
President stated that despite political
goodwill and closeness, the bilateral
trade was not commensurate to the true
potential. He highlighted that Pakistan,
through its deep-sea port at Gwadar
and CPEC routes, provided a unique
opportunity for Tunisia to expand its
trade links with the Central Asian states
and China. The President congratulated
him on successful completion of his tenure
in Pakistan and appreciated his efforts for
enhancing the relations between the two
countries. The Ambassador thanked the
Government and people of Pakistan for
their hospitality and making his stay in
Pakistan pleasant.
September