Last Updated: September 18, 2023, 13:50 IST
New French ambassador to India Thierry Mathou arrived in New Delhi. (Image Credit: French Embassy in India)
Thierry Mathou, the new French Ambassador to India, highlights the strategic and universal nature of the India-France partnership
France’s newly appointed Ambassador to India has arrived in New Delhi from Bangkok to assume his new role during what he described as an “exceptional time” for the relationship between the two countries. Mathou is replacing Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain, who served in India for four years.
In a statement, Ambassador-designate Thierry Mathou said his arrival coincides with a pivotal moment in the relationship between Paris and New Delhi, underlining that France has embraced India’s vision of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – One Earth, One Family, One Future.
“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 French envoy said in a statement.
Today, the Embassy welcomes the new ambassador-designate of France to India, Mr Thierry Mathou. Read his message on the significance of the 🇫🇷🇮🇳 strategic partnership and his ambition for taking it forward across all areas:https://t.co/0zPRaBOfIh— French Embassy in India 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@FranceinIndia) September 18, 2023
Mathou said this year is not only an opportunity to celebrate the length and depth of India-France ties but also the moment that has been chosen to look towards the future by setting the course of the partnership for the next 25 years up to 2047. The French ambassador said that his role is now to implement with determination and ambition for the India-France partnership the roadmap adopted by the country’s leaders.
Ambassador Mathou emphasised the concrete nature of these partnerships, ranging from scientific collaborations and technological advancements to healthcare improvements and cultural exchanges. He 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.
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.
In the last meeting in New Delhi over lunch, the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations, particularly in the context of the ‘Horizon 2047’ Roadmap and the Indo-Pacific Roadmap. They also exchanged views on important international and regional developments, including on the Indo-Pacific region and stressed the need for reformed multilateralism.
