Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to boosting defence ties with France, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

The development came as a top French defence official, accompanied by France’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jean-Noël Poirier, called on CDF Munir at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, according to an ISPR statement.

During the meeting with Nicolas Roche, secretary general for France’s General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN), “matters of mutual interest, including regional security, [and] bilateral cooperation in defence and security domains were discussed”.

Field Marshal Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening “bilateral ties and further enhancing defence and security cooperation”, the statement said.

On his part, Roche acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability and expressed France’s “interest in expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest”, ISPR said.

According to its website, the SGDSN has a “central positioning in the executive power organisation” and assists the French prime minister in exercising their responsibilities in the field of defence and national security.

It provides the secretariat for the national defence and security councils chaired by the French president.

Strategic defence and security issues, military programming, deterrence policy, economic and energy security, cybersecurity, the fight against terrorism, and the fight against foreign digital interference are among the key areas that SGDSN covers.

On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met France’s FM Jean-Noël Barrot on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

According to the Office (FO), they had stressed the need to ensure the “safety and free flow” of maritime traffic and uninterrupted energy supplies as the Middle East conflict disrupts oil shipments.

“Both sides exchanged views on the importance of continued diplomatic engagement and regional efforts to address the crisis,” the statement said.