The first formal diplomatic visit to France by representatives of the administration of President Luis Guillermo Solis took place on Monday, October 6^th. Chancellor Manuel Gonzalez met with his counterpart Laurent Fabius, French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development. At the meeting, both officials made plans to strengthen the ongoing academic, tourism, security, and economic collaboration between the two nations.

 

By the end of this year, Costa Rica hopes to join the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) as an observer state. French as a Foreign Language used to be a major component of public secondary education in Costa Rica; these days, however, English has taken its place. As an observer nation in the OIF, Costa Rica will be able to revive interest in French education.

 

Since Costa Rica is assuming a leadership position within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, France intends to work closer with our country in the months ahead and in preparation for the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP21) meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Paris in late 2015.

 

France also plans on helping Costa Rica gain membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a goal that our country has been pursuing for a few years. For the second day of the meeting, Chancellor Gonzalez has been invited to speak at the prestigious Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris for the purpose of explaining Costa Rica’s foreign policy, human rights advocacy and promotion of peaceful conflict resolution.

 

Prior to the meeting on Monday, Chancellor Gonzalez visited the modern Quai Branly Museum in France, which curates items from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania. One of the most treasured items in this museum is a mysterious stone sphere from the Diquís Valley. Recently, Costa Rica sent a message of solidarity and support for France as she enters the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).