Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

Damascus, (SANA)- The Agha Khan Development Network (AKDN) and the French Embassy in Damascus signed on Wednesday a partnership agreement to lay down a comprehensive framework for cooperation in development projects in Syria which encompasses many vital sectors.

The agreement includes a framework for mutual cooperation in micro-finance, tourism, culture, regional planning, health, education, traffic safety, rural and industrial development.

Resident Representative of AKDN in Syria Mohammad Seifo said the agreement is an integrated model for mutual cooperation between two pioneers in development work and an example to follow in launching similar initiatives in the 36 countries in which the network operates.

He added that the agreement enables the two sides to cooperate in various aspects, which will reflect positively on performance in terms of work and finance, thus helping achieve development goals.

Seifio added that a number of joint cooperation projects are currently studied, some of which are underway in the fields of education, health, culture and micro-loans.

The French Ambassador in Damascus Eric Chevalier described the agreement as ''very important'' in terms of its timing and framing cooperation to put the potential of the two sides together to develop the joint development aspects.

Director of the French Development Agency in Syria Philippe Lecrinier said the agreement deepens partnership between the Agency and Agha Khan Network to define the approaches and strategies of future work, adding that it is an extension of the cooperation agreement signed between the French Foreign Ministry and the Chairman of AKDN.

Agha Khan Development Network operates in 7 Syrian provinces with focus on institutional support, rural development, cultural tourism, health, education, loans and promoting the concept of economic development.

The French Development Agency is a development and finance institution founded in 1941. It is aimed at financing development projects according to the French government's policies for foreign aid. Its activities aim at enhancing sustainable economic development.