ISLAMABAD: The Ambassador of the French Republic to Pakistan Nicolas Galey called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, here on Monday.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed the importance Pakistan attached to its longstanding cooperative relations with France, both bilaterally and in the context of the European Union. The Prime Minister highlighted the extensive devastation caused by the recent floods across Pakistan and the government’s response to address the dire situation. In this regard, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the French President for solidarity and support for the flood-stricken people and for sending a relief flight carrying tents, water pumps and a team of doctors and nurses for the flood affectees.

The Prime Minister underscored that the scale and magnitude of losses was too big to be borne by the country alone and that the international community’s support was of vital importance. The Prime Minister added that Pakistan despite having a negligible contribution to climate change, was among the most vulnerable to its devastation as manifested in the recent floods. He underlined that besides the immediate relief assistance, France could contribute to the Government’s efforts in the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.

In the bilateral context, the Prime Minister added that Pakistan was committed to further deepen its relations with France across all areas of mutual interest. He hoped that the Ambassador would contribute towards strengthening the bilateral relationship as well as explore new areas for cooperation, such as IT, start-ups, agriculture, water management and energy. The Prime Minister said that Pakistan looked forward to continued engagement with France to further deepen mutually beneficial relations.