[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he French had good reason to celebrate last weekend; not only did the French team beat Croatia 4-2 in the FIFA World Cup on Sunday 15th July but it was the country’s National Day on Saturday 14th.
His Excellency M. Philippe Ardanaz, the Ambassador of France to the OECS Member States and Barbados, invited guests, including Governor General Neville Cenac, to join him at his official Saint Lucian residence on the Saturday afternoon to celebrate what is known in the English-speaking world as Bastille Day.
The ambassador commenced his speech by clarifying, “14th July was not chosen because of the uprising and capture of the prison called Bastille by the people of Paris on July 14th, 1789 but because of the “Fête de la Fédération” (Federation Day) a year later, on July 14th, 1790, and the idea to celebrate, during this day, the different French territories which took part in the Revolution. But we consider both events—the take-over of the Bastille and the Federation day—especially symbolic because they paved the way to French democracy, characterized and known by the motto “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”.
M. Ardanaz spoke of the historic relationship between France and Saint Lucia and of working towards a common future, mentioning education and regional integration and emphasizing the importance of climate change and security.
Particularly pleasing was the ambassador’s news about the plethora of plastic bottles that are thrown away in Saint Lucia: “I am glad to tell you that we are now in a position to propose a crucial partnership on that matter. We actually work with the OECS commission, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, the Saint Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority and various supportive bodies, to make all used plastic bottles disappear from Saint Lucia.
“A factory in Martinique, namely SIDREP, is the only one in the Caribbean able to transform 100% of used plastic bottles into recycled plastic that can be safely reutilized in agro industry. And its capacity is huge. Actually it can absorb all the plastics bottles from the OECS.
“To deal with this plastic pestilence, the question now in Saint Lucia is how to find the way to collect the bottles. Here is the key issue and I sincerely hope that next year, on this same auspicious occasion, I will be able to tell you: ‘Yes we have started it!’”
On the issue of security His Excellency declared: “I’m also glad to announce that the French Parliament has authorized the approbation of the Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in Criminal Matters and the Extradition Agreement that were signed last year by France and Saint Lucia. Once ratified, and this should be done quickly, these two agreements will provide that France and Saint Lucia grant legal assistance in key areas, in respect of their constitutional principles. These agreements constitute a strong and dissuasive signal that Saint Lucia and France send to criminals and terrorists.”
Talking on the matter of peace, M. Ardanaz revealed: “I’m also proud to announce that on the occasion of the commemoration of the end of the First World War, 100 years ago, and because peace is currently losing ground every day in the world, France has decided to organise a Peace Forum that will be held in Paris on 11th, 12th and 13th November, 2018 and will bring together heads of state and government, leaders of international organisations, NGOs, intellectuals, stakeholders, all those who want to think, take action, drive modern multilateralism, build peace, because peace is in danger.
“The risk of division, nationalism, inward-looking attitudes, the great fears which can cause democracy to doubt itself, the lack of international co-operation; this is what our world might currently be going through. Consequently, the Paris Peace Forum has one goal: think together, propose concrete initiatives, reinvent multilateralism and all modern forms of co-operation to ensure peace gains ground every day.”
The ambassador concluded with a heartfelt toast that was echoed by the guests: “Long live Sainte Lucie! Vive la France! And long live French and Saint Lucian friendship!”
