KARACHI: French President Sarkozy desires to further develop economic and political relationship with Pakistan. This was stated by the Ambassador of France to Pakistan, Philippe Thiebaud.
He was speaking at a reception hosted by the founder of Pakistan- France Business Alliance, Abdul Kader Jaffer, here on Saturday evening.
The envoy said that he was quite convinced that it is the wish of French President Sarkozy like that of many other European leaders to further develop economic and political relationship with Pakistan.
He stated that he knows that Pakistan is a country of 180 million people with qualified and skilled manpower with strong intelligentsia.
Thiebaud who is on a visit to Karachi said that the French companies he visited here during the two days are good example of the success story in the relationship between the two countries as far as the economy is concerned.
He said that we do recognise the pivotal role played by Pakistan in this part of the world and that we also recognise the high price paid by Pakistan in the fight against terror and especially the people who lost their lives and also for the economy of Pakistan which was affected by this war.
The French Ambassador said that "it is our wish to contribute to alleviate those concerns and be more active in the economic area". He agreed that energy is one of the key priorities in the European Union for cooperation with Pakistan.
"We certainly do intend to develop the cooperation in the area of energy," the Envoy further remarked and added that most of the projects France is supporting in Pakistan focus on hydropower electricity generation.
The Envoy said that Karachi is the heart of the economy of the country and a vibrant city. He said that he commits himself to visit Karachi on regular basis to develop the economic relationship between France and Pakistan further.
He paid tribute to Abdul Kader Jaffer for being the founding father of the France-Pakistan Business Alliance which has more than 162 members.
Abdul Kader Jaffer presented the welcome address on this very occasion.