French ambassador meets Finance minister

Celina Ali

Islamabad: The Ambassador of France to Pakistan Nicholas Galey here on Wednesday called on Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and discussed matters of mutual interests and to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Pakistan and France.

Finance Minister welcomed the French Ambassador and appreciated the support extended by the French government for renewal of GSP Plus status to Pakistan, said a press release issued by the Ministry of Finance.

The minister briefed the envoy on the steps taken by the government to stabilize the economy including notable increases in agricultural production, forex reserves reaching $9 billion, stable rupee, declining inflation and upswing in the stock market. He also informed the French Ambassador about the successful conclusion of the second International Monetary Fund review under the Standby Arrangement (SBA) and apprised him of key reforms being undertaken by the government including Privatization, SOEs reforms, Federal Board of Revenue end-to-end digitization, export-led growth and energy sector reforms to bring costs down.

Moreover, the finance minister emphasized the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as a key platform for investor facilitation, streamlining processes to foster investment and economic growth. Acknowledging the efforts of the Pakistani government, the French Ambassador expressed optimism about the future trajectory of economic cooperation between Pakistan and France. The Ambassador offered technical cooperation in the areas of interest for sustainable economic growth. He recognized the progress made by the government of Pakistan in stabilizing the economy and expressed confidence in the potential for further collaboration.