The embassy of France in Ashgabat hosted on Friday, 12 July 2024, a reception to mark the Fête nationale (the French National Day).
The banquet hall of the Olimpiya Hotel was packed with a large number of guests including the heads and representatives of the diplomatic missions and international organizations, the government officials, the French citizens in Turkmenistan, the friends and partners of France, and the notables from different walks of life.
Here is the speech of Ambassador Philippe Merlin at the occasion:
Dear Mr. Minister; Dear Turkmen friends;
Dear French compatriots and nationals of our European Union partners;
Dear colleagues from the diplomatic community;
Thirty years ago, in April 1994, French President François MITTERRAND made an official visit to Turkmenistan, the first by a French head of state, and also by a head of state of a Western country, to this country,
President François MITTERRAND expressed his support for the independence and sovereignty that Turkmenistan had just acquired after decades of imperial dominion, to use his own words. Independence and sovereignty: these words retain their full meaning at a time when the world is facing the inhuman and devastating war of aggression imposed by Russia on Ukraine, which had also regained its independence in 1991.
[Remarks about situation in Ukraine. Expression of solidarity and support for Ukraine. Demand for ceasefire in Gaza and support for two-state solution]
Ladies and Gentlemen,
President François MITTERRAND’s visit also laid the foundations for the bilateral relationship, including the emphasis placed on culture, heritage and science, and the promotion of the French language among the Turkmen public.
This is why this year we are also celebrating thirty years of the Franco-Turkmen Archaeological Mission, MAFTur. For almost a quarter of a century, French and Turkmen archaeologists have been working together on-speleological excavations at the remarkable site of Ulug Dépé. An exhibition will be dedicated to the work in Ashgabat in late 2024.
Interest in Turkmenistan and its heritage is not waning in France – on the contrary. In 2023 and again in 2024, a multidisciplinary team led archaeological and scientific expeditions in the Koitendag massif. We hope that this cooperation will continue and develop in 2025.
Since 1994, we’ve been promoting the learning and teaching of the French language. On October 4 and 5, 2024, France will host the XIXth Francophonie Summit, in the historic castle of Villers- Cotterêts. The works of the heads of state and government, members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, will be guided by the theme “Create, innovate and undertake in French”.
The Institut Français du Turkménistan, which has existed in Ashgabat for twenty years now, provides services to almost four hundred learners of the French language. Through the Fête de la Francophonie, it reaches out every heart to the whole of the country, with the support of our French- speaking partners, whom I am grateful to. In 2024, more than 1,000 students and school children from seven cities in Turkmenistan took part. We will continue to offer Turkmen audience unprecedented cultural cooperation with local artists, in collaboration with our friends at the European Union Delegation and our European partners.
During their meeting in Paris on September 5, 2023, the Vice-Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Mr. Rashid Meredov, and our Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ms. Catherine Colonna, signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of education. The French side, which is currently renewing its investment in educational cooperation, is naturally keen to see this agreement implemented, as well as exchange on terrorism-related security issues, which the two ministers also discussed.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The list of our sponsors, both French and Turkmen, whom I would like to thank most warmly here, perfectly describes the areas of cooperation they are proposing to Turkmenistan: construction, including industrial sites; telecommunications, both space and terrestrial; energy, including methane emissions remediation and renewable energies; agriculture and the creation of a national digital cadastre; infrastructure and transport, including the strengthening of the middle logistic corridor and railway modernization; the management of precious water resources; and national security.
These world-renowned companies, which are involved in numerous projects, including elsewhere in Central Asia, are at the disposal of the Turkmen authorities to make rapid progress on the bids they have submitted, with a commitment to capacity-building for Turkmenistan and long-term support to their Turkmen partners
I would like to thank the highest Turkmen authorities, in particular the Chairman of the People’s Council, Mr. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the President of Turkmenistan, Mr. Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and the Deputy-Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Rashid Meredov, for their active commitment to relations with France, and for their availability for dialogue with us.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
From July 26, 2024 Paris will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 15,000 athletes, 32 Olympic sports (including four new ones: sport climbing, surfing, skateboarding, breakdancing), 22 Paralympic sports, 3.2 billion TV viewers, 20,000 journalists, over 13 million tickets on sale. At a time when wars and conflicts affect many countries and peoples, the Olympic and Paralympic Games remain an opportunity to come together around the values of respect, tolerance and cooperation.
The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be unifying, with equal opportunities for women and men and women, inclusive of people with disabilities, and more environmentally friendly, with a carbon footprint halved. France is proud to welcome the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
“The French national holiday is a symbol of our resilience, our creativity and our ability to overcome challenges together,” wrote Nobel Prize winner AIbert Camus, author of the famous novel “The Plague”.
In this spirit, we wish everyone a happy French national holiday.
Long live the Republic!
Long live Francel
Long live Franco-Turkmen friendship! /// nCa, 13 July 2024
Here are some pictures from the reception:
