31 August 2016 – The Philippine Embassy in Paris conducted an orientation seminar for Filipino students in France on August 26.
The seminar was attended by Filipino students enrolled in various French universities such as Sciences Po, HEC, Université de Lorraine, Université Catholique de Lille, American Graduate School in Paris, ESIEE Paris, France Langues, SKEMA Business School, Université Bordeaux Montaigne, IAE Lille, and Institut Français de la Mode, among others.
Philippine Ambassador to France Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro welcomed the students and briefed them on the bilateral relations between the Philippines and France. The Philippines and France will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations next year.
Ambassador Lazaro also mentioned the recent high-level exchanges between the two countries, which started in 2012 with the visit of Former Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault to the Philippines, the visit of Former President Benigno S. Aquino III to France in 2014, the visit of President François Hollande to the Philippines in 2015 and the visit of President Aquino to Paris in December 2015 for COP21.
Ambassador Lazaro explained that these high-level visits were a sign that the Philippines is now in France’s radar.
However, while high-level exchanges are a good sign of healthy and vigorous relations, the Ambassador said that it is the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, particularly among the youth, that leaves a lasting legacy.
“People-to-people exchanges, that is, through your exchange programs, are really the most tangible component of our bilateral relations”, Ambassador Lazaro told the students.
Over 60 cooperation agreements currently exist between Philippine and French academic institutions. During the visit of President Aquino to France in 2014, a Memorandum of Understanding on Higher Education and Research was signed. This has contributed to increased exchanges between the two countries. END
