His Excellency Ambassador Moin ul Haque is a career diplomat currently serving as Pakistan’s Ambassador to France. The interview with the ambassador was recently conducted by Hassan Khan at the Embassy of Pakistan in Paris, France. Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in diplomacy? A: My father always wanted me to join the civil services and I told him that I’ll do what he wishes for me but my own interest was in the Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP). I always wanted to travel the world but most importantly get the opportunity to represent my beloved country Pakistan on international platforms, as it’s a great honour for every Pakistani who gets to represent on international level in any capacity. I was lucky enough to join the FSP and enjoyed every bit of it throughout my career. Q: French-Pakistani relations have enjoyed periods of both highs and lows since the 1950s. With Pakistan’s efforts in containing terrorism showing significant results, what are the prospects of reaching full trade potential between the two states given that the current volume stands at a relatively low figure? A: Pakistan and France are two very important countries with partnerships in security, political, economic and defence fields running for a long time. It’s a relationship which has grown over time and reached a level that of course new efforts are required to improve economic ties as you mentioned that the trade volume isn’t as high as it should be. I agree with you to some extent that volume doesn’t reflect the potential between the two economies but last year the total volume increased from $1.1bn to $1.4bn with mutual exports from both sides increasing. We have taken some initiatives in the last one year to brings traders and businessmen together. French business delegations have visited Pakistan recently who are now keen to look at the country for investment purposes. Such renewed efforts will help increase the trade ties. Q: What about CPEC? Are the French willing to become part of the megaproject in light of the interest shown by other countries such as the United Kingdom and Iran? A: Definitely, Hassan. Wherever I have gone for official meetings since the last one year, the French side has shown keen interest to be part of CPEC projects. In fact, since both France and China have significant cooperation in Africa over Chinese investments owing to French influence in the region; they think that they can reflect the same kind of cooperation with regards to CPEC in Pakistan. French media has also placed the megaproject in high regards and just recently, Le Figaro ran a very important report which concluded that CPEC would shift the paradigm for economic revival of Pakistan. Hence, French businesses are considering investing on a large scale and we think this could help a lot in coming years. Q: The European Union (EU) granted GSP Plus status in 2014. Within the last three years, how impactful has it been for Pakistani exports-keeping in mind that the average exports are declining on annual basis? A: GSP Plus did have a positive impact on the overall trade and there was an increase of $1mn in our exports during recent times. Yes, I do agree that the overall exports have declined or rather become stagnant owing to several factors but our exports to the EU are on a steady rise. Q: Coming to defence ties, is the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) willing to buy the Rafale fighter jet which is comparatively far better than the JF-17 Thunder in almost every aspect? A: As I mentioned earlier, Pakistan and France have very important defence ties with a very robust cooperation. As you might know that our entire submarine program is French-based. France has also been an important partner of the PAF as we still fly the Mirage jets which are also being upgraded by the French. Not only this, we are also working on other projects that could benefit the defence industry. Yes, the Rafale is quite a sophisticated fighter jet but a very expensive one. I think we are already self-sufficient with the development of our own aircrafts such as the JF-17 Thunder with Chinese assistance, a feat that only a few countries could achieve till now. The jet is also being upgraded with new block versions. Yes, the PAF is considering other aircrafts as well for induction including the Rafale but I cannot divulge the details at this point. Q: Europe has been embroiled with increasing Islamophobia ever since there has been a surge in terrorism especially in France and the UK. What steps in terms of public diplomacy is the embassy taking to ensure the safety of the local Pakistani community? A: Yes, it’s true that there has been surge in terrorist activities across Europe that has led to misunderstandings regarding Islam and Muslims. Wherever my colleagues and I go, we try to make them understand that terrorism and Islam are poles apart that cannot be equated. We forcefully defend the values and principles of Islam and emphasis on peaceful coexistence. At the same time, we have also embarked on a very strong campaign to promote Pakistan as you mentioned about public diplomacy. The embassy has recently launched a comprehensive public diplomacy initiative called Celebrating Pakistan that aims to promote the beauty, culture and strengths of Pakistan including the talent of our people. This would also include festivities that would help understand Pakistan in a better way. Q: How can Pakistan contain the horrors of climate change owing to man-made disasters that include environmental degradation given that the state has ratified several agreements in the past including the Paris Climate Agreement? A: Hassan, this is a very important area which you have touched. Pakistan is amongst those countries which are deeply affected by climate change. We have seen many disasters that have struck the country and have led to widespread damage to life and property. The Paris accord is an important milestone which shows our commitment to contain climate change and protect the environment. We, of course being in France, are also looking into other possible collaborations with the French government to improve our own early warning systems. Moreover, we also signed an MOU with the French just last month that would help improve our capacity building and upgradation of our systems. This is the first of the many that would come afterwards as we believe that the French have the vital means and expertise to assist us in every possible manner. The writer is Tactical Talk Network’s special correspondent and geopolitical analyst for Business Plus. He can be reached at hassankhan440@gmail.comand tweets @mhassankhan06 Published in Daily Times, August 11th 2017.