France has been an important partner of Pakistan in Europe. The two countries have maintained cordial and multifaceted relations with cooperation in diverse areas including political, trade and economic, defence, education and culture besides close liaison at multilateral fora.

In a significant development, during the 14^th Round of Bilateral Political Consultations held in Paris in February 2023 at the Foreign Secretaries level, Pakistan and France signed a Roadmap for Bilateral Cooperation that covers the entire gamut of bilateral relations (Political Exchanges; Economic Relations; Science, Technology, Education, Development, Culture and Tourism; Defence, Security, Counter-terrorism and Migration; UN and other Multilateral Fora; and Climate Change). The two sides are working on its implementation.

There are four bilateral institutional mechanisms between the two countries to discuss various important issues. These are:

1. Bilateral Political Consultations at Foreign Secretary Level;
2. Administrative, Economic and Trade Committee (AETC). Now upgraded to Joint Economic Commission at Ministerial level;
3. Joint Security Commission at Secretary level; and
4. Joint Staff Talks.

So far, 14 rounds of Bilateral Political Consultations, 3 rounds of Economic Dialogue (AETC), 7 rounds of the Joint Security Commission and 11 rounds of Joint Staff Talks have been held.

Bilateral trade has crossed the 2 billion dollar mark for the first time and is tilted in Pakistan’s favour. In 2023, Pakistan’s exports to France amounted to $1411.38 million, whereas the France’s exports to Pakistan were $278.96 million. French Development Agency (AFD) has also been working with Pakistan since 2007, providing soft loans and assistance in various sector.

Archaeology is also another important area of cooperation, dating back to 1958. Since then, French Archaeological Mission in the Indus Basin has been working in Pakistan and has discovered a number of historical sites in Baluchistan and Sindh, including Mehr Garh.