As he prepares to leave, France's ambassador held his final Bastille Day reception yesterday. In his final address, he emphasized the quality of bilateral relations between Madagascar and France, as well as with other European Union member states. Ambassador Arnaud Guillois took center stage alongside state officials. "Not partners of a day, but partners for life." This is how Arnaud Guillois, France's ambassador, sums up the quality of bilateral relations between France and Madagascar. A quality partnership he extends to cooperation between the Great Island and EU member states. "Madagascar can rely on constant, reliable and transparent partners. Not partners of a day, but partners for life. The European Union and its member states certainly are, sharing the common objective of a more prosperous, stable and democratic Madagascar," the diplomat declared yesterday at the French residence in Ivandry, on the occasion of the traditional July 14 reception. As he departs, Arnaud Guillois held his final reception on the occasion of France's national holiday yesterday. For his last speech as France's ambassador to Madagascar, he delivered an address of significant diplomatic weight. While painting a comprehensive picture of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, he also touched on political, security and geopolitical matters. By constant, reliable and transparent partners, the diplomat first refers to France's choice, and more broadly the EU's choice, to support the Refoundation government. "From the establishment of the Republic's Refoundation, through its official positions, through the continuation and reorientation of its cooperation projects, France chose constructive engagement alongside it, insofar as it intends to respond to the aspirations of Madagascar's population (...)," he states. Ambassador Guillois adds, however, that the Great Island's European partners "hope that the hopes born from the autumn events materialize and that the Refoundation's objectives as expressed and reiterated since October allow the organization of fair, transparent and credible elections by the end of 2027." After the political aspect, the diplomat refocused his speech on the diversity of cooperation between France and Madagascar. International context "Through our shared history, through the density of human relations between our two countries, through the importance of our economic relations and through our neighborhood in the Indian Ocean (...), Madagascar and France have forged indissoluble ties, unlike any other," Arnaud Guillois maintains. He reviewed, among other things, various projects funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), or co-supported by France and the EU. The diplomat emphasized the economic weight of bilateral ties between the two countries. Noting its dimension in terms of job creation, he argues that "France remains one of the country's main economic partners through its fifty-five French company subsidiaries and hundreds of companies with French capital (...)." Continuing, he recalls "as in the world, companies aspire to operate here in a stable, clean and predictable business climate, an essential condition for inclusive and sustainable growth." The renewal of cooperation in the security and defense field was also raised by Ambassador Guillois. In his speech, he also slipped in a reaffirmation of France's availability "to finally launch the program for rehabilitating Diego-Suarez's [Antsiranana] civil port infrastructure." A project on which France has faced considerable international competition. There is Russia, notably, whose delegation visited the Secren shipyard site in April. By emphasizing the constancy, reliability and transparency, as well as the non-cyclical nature of Madagascar's partnership with France and EU states, Arnaud Guillois also touched on the international context marked by geopolitical shifts. Between the lines lies the increasingly marked Russian presence in Madagascar. To some extent, the diplomat's speech aligns with the image of a Europe standing united behind Ukraine, which the French state sought to project in the July 14 celebrations. The French ambassador thus brought the Ukraine war question back to the table by highlighting the consequences for Madagascar, notably the rise in commodity prices. "(...) but also the usurpation of the Malagasy flag by ships of the Russian ghost fleet (...)."