Considering herself a country of the Pacific, France will be represented at the Inaugural Meeting of the Pacific Island Development Forum (PIDF) in Nadi next week. The French Government, accepted the invitation to attend as an observer and will be represented at the meeting by French Embassy in Suva Chargé d’Affaires ad interim , Mr. Jules Irrmann.
France’s Ambassador to Suva H.E Gilles Montagnier reaffirmed France’s commitment to integration and development in the Pacific:
“As founding member of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), which is headquartered in Noumea; partner of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and with a significant presence in the region through her territories and also three Embassies; France has always encouraged the improvement of bilateral and multilateral relations (including via the European Union) with the South Pacific.”
CAPTION: Jules Irrmann. Picture: SUPPLIED
With an Embassy in Suva, accredited to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu; France is the only European country and one of the only major diplomatic powers to also have Embassies in Port Vila (Vanuatu) and Port Moresby (PNG).
The three French Territories of the Pacific – New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis & Futuna have been invited as full PIDF members. Being part of this organization which will offer the advantage of grouping together comparable countries with similar global challenges will contribute greatly to their regional integration, one of the main priorities for France in the Pacific.
Source: PRESS RELEASE