He was talking to Ambassador of France Philippe Thiebaud, who paid him a farewell visit at the Aiwan-i-Sadr.
Highlighting the existence of long-term bilateral ties between the two countries, the president said Pakistan accorded importance to its bilateral relations with France which were based on mutual trust and goodwill.
Hussain appreciated France’s decades’ long partnership with Pakistan in defence, economic, trade and commercial relations. He expressed hope that Annual Bilateral Consultations will be held with France before the end of this year.
The president expressed confidence that the existing bilateral trade volume of $1.3 billion between the two countries had potential to increase.
“Presently, over 30 French companies are benefitting from Pakistan’s investor-friendly policies.”
Hussain also appreciated the support of France to Pakistan at various international forums.
Talking to the outgoing ambassador, the president stated that the presence of a large Pakistani diaspora of over 50,000 people in France acts as a bridge for increasing contact between the two countries.
The president appreciated the ongoing cooperation with France in the field of education, training and research. Currently, 483 Pakistani PhD scholars are pursuing their degrees in France.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2014.
Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ