Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday said enhanced defence co-operation and sharing of intelligence with France were vital to counter the threat of extremism and terrorism and for lasting world peace. Talking to French Defence Minister Gerard Longuet, who called on him here, hours after his arrival in the French capital, the prime minister said Pakistan attached greater importance to its ties with France, and termed it a reliable and dependable friend.
France has been a supplier of military hardware to Pakistan and Pakistan Air Force has the largest world wide fleet of Mirages III and V. Pakistan Navy is also using three Agosta 90 class submarines, that are also undergoing upgradation with the French co-operation.
The two countries are also in talks to augment their defence ties. France had offered military assistance to Pakistan to strengthen its capabilities to fight terrorism and both the sides are in talks for provision of French military hardware including helicopters and ammunition to Pakistan. Prime Minister Gilani said modern defence equipment could help his country in the ongoing military operation against extremists and terrorists.
Gilani said Pakistan's counter-terrorism measures had broken the back of the terrorists and they were now on the run. He said Pakistan being a victim of terrorism was endeavouring to eliminate the menace of terrorism and extremism. Gilani also underscored the need for greater interaction between the armed forces of the two countries. He noted that it was essential to increase co-operation in areas of training and exchange of delegations. The French Defence Minister lauded the contributions by Pakistan in its measures to counter extremism and terrorism and the active role it was playing to promote peace in the region.
He said France was cognisant of Pakistan's geo-strategic importance and the role it can play for stability in South Asia, counter-terrorism and extremism. The minister also lauded the role of nationals from what is now Pakistan in the fight for France during the First World War.
Prime Minister Gilani said Pakistan shared similar concerns with the international community on the issue of terrorism and believed that with consistency and joint efforts, the problem could be addressed. Gilani urged for exchange of technical expertise to boost co-operation in technological matters and its transfer for capacity building of Pakistani armed forces.
He expressed satisfaction that Pakistan and France have institutionalised their defence and security interaction by initiating Bilateral Defence Staff talks at the level of the Defence Secretaries, that last met in Paris in 2009. The prime minister said visible progress had also been made under the ambit of Pak-France Armament Committee, which was another forum of discussing defence matters. The two sides also recalled the agreement between Pakistan and France during Interior Minister's visit to France in July 2009 that focused on intelligence sharing, capacity building and supply of military hardware.
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