French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin on Monday hailed the release of two French journalists by a Pakistani court after they were jailed for violating the country's visa regulations.
"I welcome the high court's decision which will enable the two French journalists, Marc Epstein and Jean-Paul Guilloteau, to quickly return to France," he told a news conference during a visit to Abu Dhabi.
"We were in constant contact with Pakistani authorities ... I raised the issue several times with my counterpart Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri," de Villepin said.
The French minister thanked the help extended by Pakistani authorities while fully respecting the independence of the Pakistani judiciary.