-“France is back!”

With the championship of the 2018 Russia World Cup, France is back in a nutshell!

Without exception, soccer chatting was not omitted in a diplomatic reception to mark the 2018 France Bastille Day as well, held at the Amb’s residence located in Hap-dong, Seodaemun-district, Seoul on July 14th noon.

France President Emmanuel Marcon & Madame Marcon were on hand in the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow to share 2018 FIFA World Cup - an exceptional victory for the French National Football Team as well as to show off ‘France is back!’ with its unity all over the world.

Throwing his luncheon reception for the Seoul Diplomatic Corps. including new accredited new US Amb. Harry Harris, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at noon, last Saturday, French Amb. Fabien Penone named bilateral relations between Korea & France as dynamisim & consolidarity, retrospecting the flourished Korea-France mutual exchange’s year between 2015 & 2016 which were filled with many visits of high level officials between the two nations.

From Diplomatic Corps., envoys from many French-speaking countries were conspicuous including Cote D’Ivoire Amb. Sylvestre Kouassi BILE, Egypt Amb. Hazem M. Fahmy, Tunisia Amb. Nabil EL ABED in terms of their attendance including EU Amb. Michael Reiterer, Japan Amb. Yasumasa Nagamine, Denmark Amb. Thomas Lehmann, Slovakia Amb. Milan Lajciak, and more in addition to Peru Amb. Daul Jesus Enrique Matute Mejia, Paraguay Amb. Irineo Raul Silvero Silvagni & Mexico Amb. Bruno Figueroa.

Since then, the two Presidents’ election between the two countries in a simultaneous timing on May, 2017 allowed to pave the way for a foundation to consolidate bilateral relations to a more higher strategic height, according to Penone.

Touching upon ASEM12 Summit: “Global partners for global challenges” which will be held on 18-19 October 2018 in Brussels, French envoy revealed his government’s big expectations to forge more partnerships with France, hinting that President Moon’s Europe visit this fall would serve also as an opportunity to ink sure roadmaps for the future between the two countries.

The ASEM12 Summit will be chaired by the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. The Summit’s overarching theme will be “Global partners for global challenges”, and Leaders will address issues and challenges of common interest for European and Asian partners.

Amb. Penone also praised President Moon’s excellent mediator role in recent times which ushered a new chapter for inter-Korean relations as well as US-North Korea ties, pointing out that tensions level in the regions have been remarkably lowered and we all including international community must strive for a peace construction in the region & beyond it.

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