Ambassador of France in Pakistan Daniel Jounneau has said that 30 French companies, already working in the country, would reinvest in different trades like Smart Car Manufacturing Company and S D V another two companies would also start their business in Karachi next year, though the trade volume between the two nations remained below 1 billion dollar this year.
Pakistan and France would sign agreements in energy (hydro), transport, urban environment and agriculture sectors next year. Delivering his speech at Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) chaired by its president Asrar Ahmed Awan, the ambassador said the existing 200 gas stations owned by French companies would be further increased by next year.
He said the final economic joint statement would be completed on January 14, 2010, during the visit of Hina Rabbani Khar, state minister for finance, to France. Over the past one year, he said, significant French investment has taken place in Pakistan. Hayperstar has inaugurated its first hypermarket in Lahore while three new French affiliated companies -L'Oeal, SDV and Gemalto have directly established themselves in Pakistan this year.
Asrar Ahmed Awan President of MCCI has said that Multan preserves in its folds immense heritage, rich culture, strong values and age long traditions of learning, wisdom, trade and commerce. It has been an important trade centre and gateway to central Asian states since centuries.
He said that Pakistan and France enjoy very cordial relations with each other and have strong traditions of friendship. He further said that the trade and economic ties between our two countries have been developing steadily. However, there are many areas like agriculture, power, oil, gas and engineering that need to be exploited to further strengthen this co-operation. He suggested that visits of commercial attaches of your country to the Multan Chamber are most important for maintaining close liaison with each other. In this way we can exchange information/views for the benefit of businessmen and industrialists on both the sides.
Asrar Ahmed Awan stressed the need for support and guidance in capacity building of the Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said that Multan was a premier chamber of southern Punjab, and it played an important role in the development of Small and Medium Enterprise sector, which is considered the engine of economic growth in any country. MCCI is also working on reviving the dying arts of this area like blue pottery, hand embroidery, camel skin products, carpet making and hand weaving, etc.