The commemoration ceremony for the 70th anniversary of the 1944 France-Russia agreement brought together the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, and the Russian ambassador to France, His Excellency Alexander Orlov, in front of the statue of General De Gaulle.
It is impossible to determine whether the significance of this agreement goes beyond a mere historical reminder, even if the event should naturally have taken place at an inter-governmental level.
As for its importance or lack thereof, it is noteworthy that there was no mention of it in the national media.
Moreover, one should wonder why the event was relocated to Nice and celebrated by a mayor and an ambassador. It is, at the very least, unusual!
The fact that the Russians frequented Nice both back then and today cannot reasonably be part of the criteria considered by the protocol. The answers might lie in the tense relations between the European Union countries and Russia concerning the Ukraine issue.
In this case, it’s clear that the French Government is extremely cautious to avoid any misunderstanding with its allies regarding its international policy responsibilities.
Did Christian Estrosi serve as a stand-in to organize this ceremony at the Russian request?
Furthermore, the representative of the Russian Federation, in good diplomatic fashion, adeptly delivered his speech, referencing the friendship between the French and Russian people, the tradition of Russian presence on the French Riviera, particularly in Nice, and carefully avoiding any connection to current political affairs.
Less prudent than his host, Christian Estrosi took the opportunity for a somewhat reckless international policy speech, certainly not aligned with the current stance of France and the European Union, with some expressions, the most significant ones, deserving to be left to their author:
“I believe that the European Union is not destined to expand indefinitely. The European Union, for me, is not a machine to crush national identities for the sake of a vast and undifferentiated marketplace. And it is this conviction that leads me to understand today the perspective that Russia has on our Union.
I believe that NATO is also not destined to expand indefinitely eastward. Who can deny any nation the right to defend its own security?
Who then can reproach Russia for wanting to define its own security conditions and seeing those who contest them as adversaries?”
This article does not intend to comment on these statements, which belong to the author who has his own perception of the facts. We simply remind you of an essential element that establishes France’s policy.
However, upon hearing them, it is clear why the French Government did not validate this ceremony with the presence of its local representative, the Prefect of Alpes-Maritimes.
And it is even clearer why a wise diplomat like Ambassador Orlov participated in such an atypical ceremony in Nice: What mayor, what politician of national stature would have made such pro-Russian statements given the current international situation?
Photo credit: www.christian-estrosi.com
