PARIS: Pakistan-France Business Council President Thierry Pflimlin has called on Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar in Paris.
During the meeting, Pflimlin said that a business delegation from France would be visiting Pakistan in the first half of next year. Several French companies are interested to build new partnerships in Pakistan and to strengthen the already existing business relations. Infrastructure development, oil and gas, food processing, mining and railways were identified as prospective areas for future cooperation.
The finance minister welcomed the decision of the Business Council to visit Pakistan and assured him of full support of the government of Pakistan in arranging the visit. He offered French companies facilitation for setting up Special Economic Zone in Pakistan, to cater for local markets but also for exports to neighboring countries in the region.
Later, the finance minister also held meetings with senior executives of the French company Veolia, which specializes in solid waste management and environment services, and Vetigraph, which has expertise in latest IT & software technologies for textile and fashion industry. These companies evinced interest in doing business in Pakistan.
Dar also visited the headquarters of French Federation of Energy Producers in Paris, where he was received by the President and senior executives of the Federation. Finance Minister briefed them about various ongoing energy projects in Pakistan and scope for future investment in this important sector. He invited French energy companies to invest in Pakistan especially in the solar and wind sectors.