Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will pay a four-day official visit to France from May 3 to hold discussions with French leadership on a range of issues including security and trade. During Gilani's visit, Pakistan and France are likely to sign a Joint Declaration on security co-operation and economic partnership.
This is Prime Minister Gilani's first official visit to France where he will meet President Nicholas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Francois Fillon, besides interacting with business community. The two countries are also expected to ink a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Federation of French Business Corporations and Pakistan Joint Business Council to establish the Pakistan-France Joint Business Council. The purpose is to strengthen trade linkages in the fields of energy, telecommunication, infrastructure development, banking, environment, waste management and defence.
The Prime Minister's delegation will comprise Privatisation Minister, Syed Naveed Qamar, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar and Advisor to PM on minorities affairs, Dr Paul Jacob Bhatti. President Pakistan Business Council Kamran Mirza and 11 parliamentarians from PPPP, PML-N, MQM, ANP, PML-F and FATA will be part of the entourage. First Lady Begum Fauzia Gilani will also accompany the Prime Minister.
Gilani's meeting with President Sarkozy will focus on bilateral, regional and international issues and the two countries' relations in the changing international scenarios. The meeting of two leaders will be followed by a press stakeout.
Prime Minister Gilani will meet the members of MEDEF - Movement des Enterprises de France (Movement of the French Enterprises), the largest union of employers in France. He will also visit French Senate and meet its President besides meeting the French ministers for defence and foreign affairs.
The Prime Minister will also interact with French media and give interviews to leading including newspapers Le Monde and Figaro and other television channels. He will also lay floral wreath at the grave of unknown soldier to express solidarity the people of France.
Gilani is likely to meet the spiritual leader Prince Karim Aga Khan. France and Pakistan enjoy good trade relations. The volume of bilateral trade stood at US $1106.19 million during last year while the exports came up to US $682.77 million. The imports were valued at US $423.42 million during the same period.
Exports with France include leather products, molasses, plastics, hand-knotted carpets, footwear, surgical instruments and sports goods. Imports on the other hand include electrical machinery, gas turbines, aircraft and their spare parts, pharmaceutical products, chemicals, iron and steel.
Political interaction between Pakistan and France increased in recent past with President Zardari's visit to Paris in May 2009 and August 2010. French President Sarkozy is also expected to visit Pakistan in the near future. The French government has provided Euros 1.3 million apart from airlifting of around 200 tons of relief goods. France has been participating in the activities of Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FODP) since its establishment as a friendly gesture.