New Delhi: As the new French ambassador to India Thierry Mathou arrived in New Delhi on Monday, he said it is a moment that has been chosen to look towards the future by setting the course of our partnership for the next 25 years up to 2047.
In his arrival message, Mathou said, "I am taking office at an exceptional time. This year is not only an opportunity to celebrate the length and depth of the relationship between our two nations. It is also the moment that has been chosen to look towards the future by setting the course of our partnership for the next 25 years up to 2047 which will celebrate the centenary of India’s independence and the diplomatic relations between France and India".
He noted that the G20 summit gave an opportunity to French President Macron and PM Modi to assess and review the progress in the bilateral relations since the latter,'s visit to Paris last July as the Guest of Honor of the French National Day on the occasion of 25th anniversary of the France-India Strategic Partnership.
"As I just arrived in New Delhi from Bangkok to take my new assignment as Ambassador of France to India, I want to tell you how happy and proud I am to be in India, a country I have been visiting so many times since my first trip here more than forty years ago, a country once described by Jules Michelet, a famous French historian from the 19th Century as "the matrix of the world", the new French envoy said in his message.
It is exactly how I feel about India and why it was so obvious for France to embrace the concept of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” - One Earth, One Family, One Future- proposed by India as the outlook of the recent G20 Summit, he added.
Further, the new French ambassador said that his role is now to implement with determination and ambition for the partnership the roadmap adopted by the two leaders which is structured around three pillars- a partnership for security and sovereignty which has a particular meaning, France and India being two major stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific region; a partnership for the planet and global issues which is essential to meet the challenges of climate change; and a partnership for the people.
Calling the roadmap "very concrete", he said, "it is intended to translate into numerous programs and projects that will have an impact on daily life, such as training new generations of Indian students in France where they are welcomed with open arms; creating tens of thousands of new jobs in India where French companies are already very active and fully committed to the Make in India motto; bring together our scientists and engineers to advance research and technology in all fields; improve the lives of Indians, whether through water treatment, access to new sources of clean and affordable energy, or the development of transport; create new bridges between our two cultures which have a universal vocation; work together to improve global health and preserve nature on land and in the oceans, where India has so much to offer to the world; and of course contribute to peace, security, and development in the region".
Describing the partnership as strategic, the new France ambassador expressed his eagerness to work closely with Indian authorities and civil society to transform the shared vision of leaders into action, promoting the common values of liberty, equality, and democracy.
His remarks come days after Emmanuel Lenian bid farewell to India after his four-year tenure ended as the French ambassador to India landed in New Delhi.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi. Macron’s visit to India was a follow-up to PM Modi’s trip to Paris in July as the Guest of Honour on the occasion of French National Day.
