ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of France to Pakistan – Martine Dorance – on Wednesday called on the Defence Secretary Lieutenant General (r) Zameerul Hassan Shah.
The two sides discussed matters relating to national and regional security, exchange of information, bilateral defence cooperation, crisis management efforts and finalisation of the Letter of Intent – between National Defence University (NDU) and France’s Institute for Higher National Defence Studies (IHNDS) – besides arrangements for the 5th meeting of Pak-France Joint Security Commission.
According to a press release, the ambassador congratulated the Defence secretary on assumption of office and successful conduct of a defence exhibition – IDEAS-2016.
The two sides were of the view that national and regional security was an important and common concern and both can help each other by sharing and exchanging information to monitor the foreign combatant elements involved in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq – which have become new centauries for such elements.
The secretary defence told the French envoy about efforts of Pakistan’s armed forces in countering terrorism and sought technical support from France. He also thanked the ambassador for providing assistance to the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) of Pakistan.
The ambassador gave a brief account of crisis management system in France on which Shah said that Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority could learn from France expertise in the sector.
She apprised the secretary about the arrangements of the meeting and assured that French side would positively consider the agenda to be proposed by Pakistan. The ambassador invited the secretary to visit France for the fifth meeting of Pak-France Joint Security Commission.
