KARACHI(National Times)- The Consulate General of France in Karachi is closing its doors permanently after 50 years of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was announced by the outgoing French Ambassador to Pakistan Nicolas Galey at a farewell organised by the Board of Management of the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum in collaboration with the Karachi Council of Foreign Relations on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event was aimed at saying goodbye to two great friends of Pakistan: Ambassador Galey and the Consul General of France in Karachi Alexis Chahtahtinsky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ambassador said that he was also feeling a bit sad after spending almost five years in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Farewell held for French Ambassador Nicolas Galey and Consul General Alexis Chahtahtinsky<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd my leaving is also coinciding with the departure of our Consul General in Karachi Alexis Chahtahtinsky. Someone will replace me in Islamabad but here in Karachi, the French Consulate, which opened in 1976, is closing down after 50 years of service,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have visited Karachi many times and have seen the vitality of this city. I have seen it changing and improving,\u201d he said, while appreciating Consul General Alexis for his good work in Karachi. \u201cEven though the consulate is closing, there is still the Alliance Francaise, which will now serve as our flagship. There will also be the Pakistan France Business Alliance here doing its work,\u201d the Ambassador reminded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also said that he really appreciates Pakistan\u2019s efforts in at least getting \u201ca kind of ceasefire in the Gulf. Pakistan has emerged as a very influential country in difficult circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consul General Chahtahtinsky said that he was leaving Karachi and Pakistan on September 1. \u201cI am going back to France but I am taking great memories of Karachi with me,\u201d he said, adding that he is not just a great friend but also an old friend of Pakistan. \u201cI first visited Pakistan as a student in 1983, which was a great thing, because as a diplomat you don\u2019t get so much freedom to go where you want. I was lucky enough to visit and fall in love with the Northern Areas of Pakistan at the time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs the Consul General, I spent another four memorable years in Karachi, which was the first capital of Pakistan and still its economic hub. Indeed, Karachi, as the biggest port in the country, is the gateway to Pakistan,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a great place for doing business and has a great social life. I will always have a special place in my heart for Karachi,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEarlier Pakistan had a reputation of crime and terrorism and embassy people used to be afraid to come here. But since February 28, when the major conflict erupted in the Gulf, Pakistan has also emerged on the world map due to its mediation efforts. The entire world is grateful to Pakistan for its role. It is a very different Pakistan that we are leaving. Instead of being a problem, Pakistan has repositioned itself to become part of the solution,\u201d the consul general said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During his vote of thanks, Vice Chairman of the Board of Management of the Karachi Council of Foreign Relations Ikram Sehgal recounted that France was the first non-Muslim nation to recognise Pakistan though diplomatic relations between both countries were established in 1951. \u201cFrance has lent Pakistan support whenever we needed it. We got Daphne-class submarines followed by the Agosta-class submarines at a time when no one was giving us weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBefore that we had the Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighter jets. Through Project Retrofit of Strike Element [ROSE], a modernisation programme for ageing Mirage jets carried out at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra, we are still flying their upgraded versions. In between, we also captured some French army tanks used by India to put into use ourselves,\u201d he said, adding that France is wrong in closing its consulate in Karachi at this time when Pakistan\u2019s waters are turning into a major power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a time when France could have taken advantage of the opportunities coming up here in the name of trade and new alliances are coming up geopolitically as Pakistan gets ready to play a big role,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KARACHI(National Times)- The Consulate General of France in Karachi is closing its doors permanently after 50 years of service. This was announced by the outgoing French Ambassador to Pakistan Nicolas Galey at a farewell organised by the Board of Management of the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum in collaboration with the Karachi Council of Foreign Relations on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":131927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n