French Navy vessel “La Confiance” has wrapped up its four-day port call to Guyana, having arrived from Cayenne in French Guiana on Friday last.
Docked at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard wharf in Georgetown, the “La Confiance” is one of three ships, together with “La Combattante” and “La Résolue”, that are based in the region and that have visited Guyana.
For instance, “La Combattante” was here late November and hosted a reception aboard in celebration of the presentation of the Letters of Credence by Ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste to President Dr Irfaan Ali.
This time around, the “La Confiance” held a reception aboard as part of the week of francophonie, an annual worldwide series of events celebrating the French language, the world’s fifth-most spoken language.
Guyana has had an association for the friends of the French language since the 1950s and an Alliance Française since 1992. Alliance Française is a network of institutions that act as a culture house, promoting the French language and culture locally. It is located at Lot 61 Robb Street, Georgetown; and its current president is Dhamatie Goring.
A batch of students from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations as well as the GDF are currently learning the language through the Alliance Française.
Meanwhile, the Alliance Française marked the francophonie week with a series of events, including the reception aboard “La Confiance”. Other activities included a presentation on Guyana’s brief French history as well as a French movie screening.
Moreover, at the reception onboard the “La Confiance”, certificates were presented to some students who are learning the French language through the Alliance Française.
Also present at the reception were Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd; Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud, Resident Representative of the French Embassy in Guyana, Pierre Gaté, and commanding officers from Brazilian vessel “Iguatemi” which was also docked in town that weekend.
Meanwhile during the four-day visit to Guyana, Commanding Officer and Captain of “La Confiance”, Côme Manoury and his officers paid a courtesy call to Chief of Staff Brigadier Godfrey Bess.
This publication understands that during the meeting, the two teams exchanged knowledge and shared good practices in the execution of their respective duties, especially since the two countries are facing similar concerns – being part of the Guiana Shield.
Guyana and France established formal diplomatic relations on June 22, 1967. France is seeking to deepen its relationship with Guyana through the opening of a local office of the French Embassy in Georgetown later this year.
Guyana has also expressed interest in expanding its relation with France, through its territory French Guiana.
“We’re all part of the Guiana Shield. So…we’re now trying to expand that relationship,” President Dr Irfaan Ali had expressed in February.
