The Ambassador of France Gérard Araud
“I think it has been quite a successful year for the relationship between our two countries, and especially because, of course, of the state visit by President Macron. It was the first state visit of the Trump Presidency,” said Ambassador Araud. “It was a great honor, and I really do think that the visit was quite a success. We are extremely grateful for the way that President Trump and the First Lady have greeted and welcomed President Macron and Madame Macron. I think it was a good moment, a great moment, for the Franco-American co-operation and for our friendship, and I am sure that the NATO summit coming will be also another great moment in Franco-American friendship.”
Ambassador Araud with The Ambassador of Germany Emily Haber and Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce
“But I want also to remind you that 2018 is the centennial of the end of the First World War, and so it means that on Veterans’ Day 2018 it will be the centennial of the end of the First World War,” Araud added. He went on to explain how President Macron has decided to make November 11th, 2018 a very special date by launching a dialogue on Democracy by calling for individuals and corporations to try to think together about how to prevent democratic institutions from being undermined.
“We hope that tens of thousands of people will come. There will be an exhibition of solutions that people could have to make democracy more effective. We hope that it will be the beginning of the process where we are going to work together to try to imagine the democracy of the 21st century.I think it’s quite a challenge, so we need imagination and you know that when you look for imagination, the French are never far. When I was a kid, there was a French advertising saying,” Araud concluded. “We’re the French. We don’t have oil, but we have ideas.” “Let’s try to think [about] the future together. We need universities, we need civil societies, and we need all countries. The future is not going to be decided by the North or by the West. Everybody has something to bring. The Storming of the Bastille on July 14th, 1789 was the beginning of the French Revolution. So, in a sense, what we are going to try to do is to avoid the next revolution.”
“We are engaging to reforming our society, reforming our economy, and France will be fully engaged and committed to the 21st century, the 21st century economy and the 21st century democracy. Thank you very much really for your friendship, for your support.”
Cake was not served!
Happy Bastille Day!
