From his participation in the Meeting of Francophone Entrepreneurs to his meeting with Emmanuel Macron, through exchanges with economic operators, including members of the Moroccan employers’ association, and the meeting with the diaspora, the Parisian agenda of the President of the Republic Andry Rajoelina has been busy during the past week.
From our partner: Madagascar Newsroom Photography DR As part of his visit to France, President of the Republic Andry Rajoelina met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris on August 27, 2021. The interview focused on strengthening the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. “Coming from the same generation and elected at about the same time, the two presidents have testified to the strong patriotic feeling that animates them for their respective countries,” said the Malagasy presidency in the statement that followed the meeting. The meeting between the two Heads of State focused on economic, diplomatic and health issues. In addition to this, the issue relating to the Spars Islands was discussed. The two men also discussed the cooperation between Madagascar and France in the fight against Covid-19 as well as the fight to eradicate famine in the South. President Andry Rajoelina thanked the French President for his support to this cause which is particularly close to his heart. “We have presented the diversity of existing opportunities in Madagascar, but also our willingness to densify our economic fabric with partners, including French. This in a spirit of balanced partnership for a shared growth,” said the Malagasy Head of State during a joint press briefing that preceded the meeting with his French counterpart.
Support of 240 million euros by 2030
“France is fully mobilized to support the development of Madagascar within the framework of the priorities you have defined. 240 million by 2030 in agriculture, education and urban development, and we are fully committed to this. We are also at your side in the face of the challenges in the fight against drought in southern Madagascar as well as in the response against Covid-19,” said the French President. Regarding the issue of scattered islands, the two Heads of State agree on the need to continue the work begun by the joint commission created in 2019 in “the objective of opening common prospects for sustainable economic development for this area, to protect the treasures of biodiversity it harbors and to have a common scientific strategy. The exchanges also focused on sub-regional cooperation, as France currently holds the presidency of the Indian Ocean Commission. Before this tête-à-tête of more than an hour at the Elysée Palace, the Malagasy President was the guest of honor at the Meeting of Francophone Entrepreneurs, organized by the MEDEF, the main employers’ group in France, at Longchamp. An event presented as a must for the development of the economic Francophonie with the objective of bringing together Francophone actors to face the challenges related to the current context of the pandemic, whose socio-economic impact does not spare any country. Finally, Andry Rajoelina dedicated his last day of visit in the French capital to his compatriots living in France. On Saturday, August 28, 2021, members of the diaspora came in large numbers to the headquarters of the Embassy of Madagascar in Paris to meet with the Head of State who took the opportunity to launch an appeal for solidarity and present some of the development projects that are underway in Madagascar. It was also announced that preparations are underway to allow the Malagasy diaspora in France to take part in the voting during the next presidential elections of 2023.
