Paris – Zaytoun News
His Highness the Aga Khan recently began an official visit to France at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron. This is the first in a series of planned visits to countries where Ismaili Muslims reside, following his assumption of the Ismaili Imamat earlier this year.
At the Élysée Palace, His Highness the Aga Khan and French President Emmanuel Macron held private talks and signed three agreements. The first agreement covers areas such as development investment, humanitarian support, healthcare, education and research, culture and the arts, agricultural development, food security, infrastructure, and environmental protection.
This agreement also facilitates cooperation to promote peace, strengthen pluralism, support civil society, and encourage interfaith dialogue. It formally recognizes the presence of the Ismaili Imamat in France, particularly through official representation between the two parties and the formation of a joint coordination committee.
The second agreement affirms cooperation to achieve a peaceful transition in Syria. It includes meeting urgent humanitarian needs and investing in the foundations of long-term sustainable development in the country.
The third focus area involves cooperation to renew coastal areas and marine ecosystems in the Indian Ocean region. It includes several countries: Mayotte, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Following his visit to the Élysée Palace, His Highness the Aga Khan met with Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and Minister of State for European and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot. Two cultural agreements were also signed — one between the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH), and another between the Trust and the Guimet Museum (Musée Guimet).
This visit reflects the depth of a longstanding relationship, which includes a partnership spanning over three decades and more than 60 joint projects with the French Development Agency (AFD) in various regions of Africa, South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is also a founding member of the Paris Peace Forum.
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