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French Foreign Ministry Asia and Oceania Director Thierry Mathou (right) speaks to reporters in Colombo on 27 February after talks with Sri Lankan leaders. French Ambassador Eric Lavertu is also present – AFP
By Chandani Kirinde
France is looking to be Sri Lanka’s new gateway to Europe following Brexit with plans to increase trade, investment and tourism between the two countries, a visiting senior French diplomat said.
Under the new strategy of making Sri Lanka a priority, France will also consolidate relations by opening opportunities for Sri Lanka on the French-owned La Réunion island located in the Indian Ocean less than 3,000 miles south-west of the country, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Director for Asia and Oceania Thierry Mathou said.
“We want to upgrade our relations with Sri Lanka due to the consequences of the Brexit. We have very ancient and good relations with your country, but I think time has come for us to put more flesh on the bone of this relationship.
“The European Union (EU) is a strategic partner for Sri Lanka for trade and other sectors and we think that France has the potential to become the new gateway for Sri Lanka to Europe,” Mathou said. He was in Sri Lanka last week and met with Government ministers and officials.
Mathou said while playing an inclusive role in the Asia-Pacific region is a priority. France is also keen to develop bilateral relations with Sri Lanka.
“Clearly the strategy is to develop our presence in this country. We already have major stakeholders in Sri Lanka. Michelin which is one of the biggest manufactures of tires is here and Decathlon, the world’s leader in sport accessories, too opened in a store in Colombo recently. Decathlon plans to dramatically increase the exports of garments from Sri Lanka to its outlets all over the world. They mentioned an investment of up to $ 500 million in 10 years,” he said.
Mathou said tourism is another sector which France is keen to develop further. “Tourism is important for your country. France is one of the most visited countries in the world and we can share our expertise in the field,” he said, adding that France is considering reopening the airline route between Colombo and Paris.
“Charles De Galle airport in Paris, the largest international airport in France, is a major gateway to Europe and we are ready to give to Sri Lankan Airlines a red-carpet welcome. It would be an opportunity to bring more tourists from France and Europe to this country as well as open interaction in many sectors such as business and education,” he said.
Mathou also said France wants to increase contacts between younger generations of the two countries. “The Alliance Française branches in Sri Lanka are very active and the objective is to teach French but speaking French is not a prerequisite to studying in France as all our curricula are in English. We provide a high-level education and I must say compared to other countries it›s cheaper,” he said.
On France’s status in the Asia-Pacific region, the French diplomat, who is also a scholar specialised in Asian Studies, said that France is not an outsider in the region.
“We are part of the region. We have a direct interest in the sustainable development, peace, security and stability of the region, which obviously faces many challenges. Our strategy is inclusive. We have a global strategic partnership and excellent relations with both China and India. We don›t believe that one country should be hegemonic in the region,” he said.
He said that given Sri Lanka’s geographical and strategic positioning, it is an important partner and with France’s territory in the Indian Ocean La Réunion, the countries are neighbours and hence France is very interested in developing more interactions between the two islands.
A delegation from the Ministry of Defence, the Coast Guard and the Sri Lanka will visit La Réunion in May. “There are many areas of interests for both countries here. There are training opportunities and we also have to deal with issues such as illegal immigration,” he said.
Mathou added that that France plays a major role in the global fight against terrorism and said that his country, like the rest of the world, was shocked by the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka.
“No country can escape terrorism, and this is also a top priority of France. We organised the first ‘No money for Terror Conference’ in Paris in 2018. The second was in Australia and third will be held in India. Cutting the budget of terrorist group is a very efficient way to fight against terrorism,” Mathou said.
