Arrival message from the new ambassador Thierry Mathou

Dear Indian Friends,

Namaste

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".

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.

This Summit gave an opportunity to our leaders to assess and review the progress in our bilateral relations since the historic visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi 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, at the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron.

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 of the diplomatic relations between France and India.

My role is now to implement with determination and ambition for our partnership the roadmap adopted by our leaders which is structured around three pillars:

1- a partnership for security and sovereignty which has a particular meaning, France and India being two major stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific region;
2- a partnership for the planet and global issues which is essential to meet the challenges of climate change;
3- and a partnership for the people.

Let me tell you that this is very concrete and 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; create 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.

I look forward to working with Indian authorities and civil society to translate the vision of our leaders into action and further promote our shared values of liberty, equality and democracy.

Our partnership is strategic. I also like to describe it as universal as it goes from the sea to the space! I am thrilled to embark on this journey with all of you.

Thank you

Thierry Mathou