The Embassy of the Republic of France in BiH organized a celebration of July 14, the National Day of that country, the largest national holiday also known as the Bastille Day that is celebrated in memory of July 14, 1789, the day when the French Revolution officially started.
On that day, the revolutionary forces conquered the notorious Bastille fortress, the prison in the suburbs of Saint Antoine in Paris. The traditional military parade on the Champs Élysées is held on this day as well.
After the intonation of the national anthems of the two countries, the Ambassador of France to BiH Guillaume Rousson addressed a large number of attendees and stated that France maintains friendly relations with BiH, including all of its institutions on state, entity, cantonal and municipal level as well as civil society.
“This close and trusting relationship make us share the joy of achieved success or sometimes even a concern. It is clear that we live in a connected world, and the geographical proximity makes it even more compact, and BiH is, if not in the EU yet, in Europe. It is our neighbor, our very close neighbor,” said Ambassador Rousson.
He also added that France is planning to further extend its cooperation with BiH at several levels, including a bilateral basis as well as culture, considering the increasing number of students from BiH in France.
“As noted at the Summit in Trieste on July 12, France is strongly engaged in supporting the Balkans region regarding the interest of its European path, and in accordance with the situation and the political will of each country individually. When it comes to the engagement of France on the European project in general, I believe it is clear enough,” noted Rousson.
The reception held at the French residence was attended by a large number of guests, including representatives of international organizations and ambassadors, religious officials as well as representatives of cultural life in BiH.
(Source: klix.ba)
