After President Aquino’s historic official visit to France as part of his European tour last September, French President François Hollande is expected to reciprocate it with a visit of his own to the Philippines next year.
President Aquino’s visit to France from September 17 to 18, 2014 was the first visit of a Philippine head of state since 1994. Both heads of state discussed issues of mutual interest and witnessed the signing of three agreements in the fields of trade, education, and culture.
Central to their dialogue was on the subject of the environment and climate change. In his press statement, President Hollande underscored the consequences of global warming, citing the experience of the Philippines following the passage of Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, and emphasized the need for both countries to collaborate in addressing it.
In his press statement, President Hollande said he and President Aquino agreed that “in the context of the preparation of the Climate Conference (21st Conference of Parties), France and the Philippines should work together, and on the occasion of my visit to your country, a visit that we could organize next year, we could illustrate what this conference on climate should be.”
President Hollande would not only be the first French head of state, but also the first European head of state, to undertake an official visit to the Philippines.
“The exchanges between our two countries have been at its highest point since 2012, and we’d like to continue this for the coming years. We are truly looking forward to this visit so that President Hollande could see first hand the economic, political, and cultural opportunities here in the Philippines,” French Ambassador Gilles Garachon said.