RAWALPINDI – Pakistan and France have signalled a renewed push to deepen defence and security cooperation as a senior French national security official held high-level talks with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at General Headquarters.
France’s Secretary General for Defence and National Security (SGDSN) Nicolas Roche, accompanied by French Ambassador to Pakistan Jean-Noël Poirier, called on Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, at GHQ in Rawalpindi.
The high-level meeting focused on regional security developments and opportunities for stronger cooperation between the two countries in the defence and security sectors.
Field Marshal Asim Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to taking bilateral relations with France to a stronger level, with greater collaboration in defence and security identified as an important area of engagement.
Roche, meanwhile, acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts to contribute towards regional peace and stability and conveyed France’s interest in expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
The meeting comes amid a broader period of intensified Pakistan-France engagement. Just a day earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held discussions with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in New York, where both sides reviewed bilateral ties as well as regional and global developments.
During that meeting, Pakistan and France also agreed on the importance of continued diplomatic engagement over regional crises and maintaining close coordination on matters affecting regional stability.
The latest GHQ engagement therefore adds a significant defence and security dimension to the ongoing high-level diplomatic contacts between Islamabad and Paris.
France’s SGDSN is responsible for supporting the French Prime Minister on national defence and security responsibilities, coordinating national security matters and contributing to crisis management and protection against security threats. Nicolas Roche has served as the organisation’s Secretary General since March 2025.
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