France is upping its presence here with the establishment of a bureau which will be functional from September, French Ambassador to Suriname and Guyana, Nicholas de Lacoste on Wednesday night announced.
de Lacoste made the announcement during the Bastille Day (France National Day) celebrations at the Georgetown Club. He explained that the office will be manned by a French career diplomat to represent the interests of France as that country increases its presence here. “It is not an embassy but we will have a permanent diplomatic presence here in Georgetown”, he said.
The office will be located inside the secretariat of the EU mission here. France will be the first EU member country to cement its diplomatic presence here in Guyana.
Asked about the possibility of the establishment of a French embassy here, de Lacoste responded that it is not impossible but it will be dependent on the number of French nationals and French enterprises here, and the development of French culture.
“We take into consideration all these parameters and if we see that the time is right for a full-fledged embassy we will do so. For now, this diplomatic bureau will be linked with the French Embassy in Paramaribo,” he further explained.
Meanwhile, processing for the issuing of the Schengen visa, which is required for travel across Europe, including France, will still be done in Suriname. The government here has been pressing for a change in these arangements.
