FRANCE has assured Pakistan of help in the revival of its economy and reconstruction in the wake of devastating floods and announced holding an international financial and development conference this year. 

In a joint statement issued after a meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Macron said Paris will help the South Asian nation in its current difficult situation. 

“The two leaders agreed on mobilising international support for Pakistan to help recover and rebuild its economy on a sustainable footing in the aftermath of the recent devastating floods in Pakistan related to climate change,” Anadolu Agency quoted the statement. 

“In order to gather the relevant international financial partners and the development partners, France will host an international conference before the end of the year aiming at contributing to the rehabilitation and the reconstruction of flood-affected areas of Pakistan and, with the help of climate-resilient, reconstruction-related financing, to accelerate the transition to renewable energy,” it further added.

Sharif also thanked Macron for his country’s support for GSP+ (Generalised System of Preferences-Plus) status with the European Union, saying it helped enhance trade with EU countries.

Sharif also met with Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, and United States Special Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry. – Bernama, September 21, 2022.