French National Day (Bastille Day) was celebrated at the Beach Luxury Hotel here attended by Governor Kamran Tessori, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, consul generals of various other countries and large number of other dignitaries as well.
Consul General of France in Karachi Alexis Chahtahtinsky and Madame welcomed the guests with traditional zeal at the remarkable ambiance set for the occasion.
Addressing at the occasion, the Consul general said: “It’s a great pleasure and honor for me, as the Consul General of France in Karachi and the representative of the French Government in both provinces of Sindh and Balouchistan, to address this distinguished audience tonight as we celebrate together the French National Day on 14th of July, also called Bastille Day.
He added: “On that day, that is at the same time our Armed Forces’ Day, the President of the Republic and the whole of the French Government traditionally attend a military parade on, the world’s most beautiful avenue, the Champs Elysées in Paris, while French people take pride in the unity and strength of their nation.”
The CG went on: “Having been appointed less than a year ago, in August 2022, by the French President Macron to serve as a Consul General in Karachi, this is the first time I have the opportunity of welcoming you all for this Bastille Day celebration. It is indeed heartening to see how many friends my country, France, has in this city, coming from all walks of life and all kind of different backgrounds.”
Mr Chahtahtinsky said that France is Pakistan’s old and trusted partner. Friendship between our nations is almost as old as Pakistan itself, France being the first non-Muslim nation to recognize Pakistan’s independence and to establish diplomatic relations, through opening an Embassy here in Karachi, 75 years ago. I would like to mention as well as the creation, 69 years ago, of Alliance Française de Karachi, a Pakistani-French institution that is, by virtue of its very existence, a testimony of the enduring friendship of our people.
He viewed that over the last 75 years, French-Pakistani bilateral cooperation has been growing at times at a very rapid pace, adding “I am old enough to remember the days, not so long ago, when Pakistan Air Force was flying Mirage fighter jets, Pakistan Army was using Alouette and Puma helicopters, while the French naval engineers had come to Karachi in order to help Pakistan Navy building the Agosta submarines.”
The CG continued as saying: “It was at the same time, prior to 9/11, when Karachi’s International Airport terminal (still in good shape, by the way) was being built by a French company (SOGEA), and we have had so many French businesses represented here, with a large community of French expats living in Karachi with their families. Since then, the world has changed dramatically, sometimes for worse, sometimes for better.”
He remarked that unsurprisingly, there have been ups and downs in our relations. “But we still have a French community that continues living here and we still have French companies doing business in or with Pakistan.”
Mr. Chahtahtinsky cheerfully said that the good news was that we were now rebuilding the relationship, step by step, adding “This was proved true once again last year, as Pakistan experienced unprecedented, catastrophic floods, that affected first and foremost the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan. France almost immediately provided emergency relief for flood-affected areas, with the first rescuers from France landing in Karachi at the end of August, others arriving in September and October.”
He noted that against this backdrop, we witnessed an intensification of bilateral contacts over the past 12 months, both at the level of Minister of Foreign Affairs Bilawal Zardari, who has been making frequent contact, over the phone or otherwise, with his counterpart Mrs Catherine Colonna; and at the level of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who met with President Macron twice.
He concluded on positive note saying: “I have no doubt that Pakistan has a bright future, and that French companies and business will be able to make the most of arising opportunities, both here in Sindh and in neighboring Balochistan.”
