By Kelum Bandara  

French Ambassador Jean-François Pactet, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of bilateral relationship, said France and Sri Lanka have common interests as far as the Indian Ocean is concerned. 

The ambassador, in an interview with Daily Mirror, said France has overseas territories in the Indian Ocean.  “France considers itself as being an Indian Ocean nation. France has the second biggest exclusive economic zone in the world, and 30 percent of this maritime exclusive economic zone is in the Indian Ocean, thanks to the French islands in the Indian Ocean,” he said.   

Commenting on plans for the development of bilateral relations, he said, “We are celebrating this year the 75th anniversary of the French-Sri Lankan diplomatic relationship, which was established on October 27, 1948, right after the independence of Sri Lanka. It means that from the start, France has been alongside Sri Lanka; this is the history that we want to celebrate this year.”