KARACHI: On the banks of Chinna Creek, as the Arabian Sea Breeze hissed through the swaying leaves of majestic palms surrounding the Beach Luxury Hotel lawns, Karachiites, diplomats and expatriates converged on Friday (14th of July, 2023) to celebrate the National Day of France with the the Consul General Alexis Chahtahtinsky.
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Consul General of France at the Karachi Post thanked Dinshaw Avari and the Management/Staff of Avari Towers (that also owns and operates Beach Luxury Hotel) for their welcome.
Addressing the ladies and gentlemen in the audience the CG Alexis Chahtahtinsky stated: “It is a great honor and pleasure for me as the Consul General of France in Karachi and the representative of French Government in both provinces of Sindh and Balochistan to address this distinguished audience tonight as we celebrate together the French National Day.
“On that day (that is at the same time our Armed Forces Day) the President of the French Republic and the whole French Government traditionally attend the Military Parade (on, what we call the world’s most beautiful avenue the Champs-Elysees in Paris), while French people take pride in the unity and strength of their Nation.
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“Having been appointed, less then a year ago in August 2022, by French President Emmanuel Macron to serve as a Consul General in Karachi, this is the first time I have the opportunity of welcoming you all for this Bastille Day Celebration.”
(“Please allow me to thank you all for attending this reception. Before we go towards the lawn and enjoy the music and the buffet…We have some fine French and Pakistani dishes prepared by the Beach Luxury Chef Nawaz Muhammad and some fine French Cheese as well. As you know French always have cheese after the main course before or instead of desserts. But you may have both tonight!”)
Terming three things as important Consul General of France Alexis Chahtahtinsky said:
“The first point that I would like to make is that France is Pakistan’s old and trusted partner. Friendship between our two nations is almost as old as Pakistan itself.”
The French diplomat pointed out that France was the first (non-Muslim) nation that recognized Pakistan and prompted to establish diplomatic relations by opening its Embassy here.
Alliance Française (French Cultural Center), Karachi:
Speaking about Alliance Française (French Culture Center), Karachi, Consul General Alexis Chahtahtinsky told that it was established 69 years ago.
“The Pakistani-French institution that, by virtue of its very existence, is the testimony of enduring friendship between our people.”
“We look forward to further developing Alliance Française’s activities in Karachi in close partnership with Goethe Institut…”
75 Years of Franco-Pak bilateral cooperation:
Focusing on the 75 years of Franco-Pak bilateral cooperation Alexis Chahtahtinsky said that at times it had been growing at a very rapid speed.
The French diplomat while commenting on the Military cooperation brought to mind PAF pilots flying French jet fighters Mirage; Pakistan Army utilizing Alouette and Puma helicopters.
Alexis Chahtahtinsky recalled that French Naval Engineers landed in the Metropolis to assist Pakistan Navy build Agosta Submarine at the Karachi Shipyard.
Consul General Alexis Chahtahtinsky further reminded that prior to 9/11 Karachi’s Jinnah Terminal was built by French construction company Sogea.
He said that since then the world had changed dramatically, sometimes for worse and sometimes for better: “Unsurprisingly, there have been ups and downs in our relations, as is always the case in life...
“We still have a French Community that continues living here (in Karachi). And we still have French Companies doing business in or with Pakistan.
“Throughout the years we have Pakistani companies doing business in or with France.”
“The good news is that we are now rebuilding the relationship step-by-step.
“Some people say that you get to know your friends when in need. This was proved once again last year as Pakistan experienced unprecedented catastrophic floods foremost in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan.
“France, almost immediately, provided emergency relief for the flood affected areas with first rescue aircraft landing in Karachi at the end of August. Others arriving very soon in September and October.”
The Consul General further informed that France had also sent aid workers from French NGOs with the financial support of French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union and they were still working in the flood-affected areas of Sindh.
He told that very soon a bridge near Lasbella (Balochistan) would be inaugurated replacing the one swept away during heavy floods and that would be a gift of France to the people of Pakistan.
Pointing towards PM and FM-level contacts he said that the current political dialogue goes far beyond the disaster relief, encompassing discussion on subjects like consequences of climate change, security challenges, easing financial constraints for emerging countries like Pakistan etc.
Economic Relations:
Consul General of France, noting that it had been a challenging year for Pakistan and French Businesses in Pakistan, pointed towards normalization of foreign exchange situation.
He said that Franco-Pak bilateral trade was growing year by year and Pakistani exporters were benefiting from enhanced access to the European market by means of GSP Plus.
Maintaining that France was one of the major destinations for Pakistani exports, he mentioned a number of Pakistani companies such as pharmaceutical manufacturers Martin Dow and Gul Ahmed (one of the main Pakistani exporters of textile to France).
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Focusing on the presence of French companies in Pakistan he mentioned, among others, CMA CGM (world’s 3rd largest shipping company), Schneider Electric, L’Oréal (that had also trained thousands of Pakistani girls enabling them to work at beauty parlors), Total (a joint venture with PARCO – running 750 petrol pumps all over Pakistan), Peugeot (assembling vehicles in Karachi since February 2022 in partnership with Lucky Motor Corporation).
Education and Archaeology:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/866479/a-mission-in-makran
Consul General Alexis Chahtahtinsky said that France and Pakistan had enjoyed cooperation in the field of Archaeology over the last sixty years.
Singling out one of the contemporary collaborations, he cited the ongoing renovation at the Lahore Fort being carried out by Agha Khan Foundation with support of AFD.
Speaking about French Alumni Day observed here, the CG expressed hope that French universities would succeed in attracting more and more Pakistani students as one needs to pay just a fraction of the tuition fee as compared to what they would have to pay in UK, USA or Canada.
Newspakistan.tv
