French envoy to PH bids the country adieux
FINAL TOAST. It may or may not be his last toast in the country, but here’s H.E. Thierry Mathou leading this year’s celebration of Bastille Day in the Philippines with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea./IMAGE Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia
The Filipino community will be seeing less of French Ambassador to the Philippines Thierry Mathou as he bids farewell to the country he has called his home since September of 2015.
French Amb Thierry Mathou bids farewell to the Philippines as he begins his new mission in Paris! Congrats & best wishes, Mr. Ambassador! pic.twitter.com/KHO2muJeTl
— France in the PH 🇫🇷🇵🇭 (@FrenchEmbassyPH) August 1, 2017
Mathou left the country last July 28 for Paris to assume his new post as the Director for Asia and Oceania at France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. He thanked everyone he has met and worked with in the Philippines.
He said he is excited for the opportunity given to him, but also leaves the country “with many regrets after two years in the Philippines.”
https://www.facebook.com/FrenchEmbassyManila/videos/1567891846575621/
“It is an exceptional country, very different from what I’ve experienced elsewhere in Asia but where I learned a lot,” he said in his goodbye video posted on the French Embassy’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
All may not be lost, however, as he hopes he gets to visit the country in the future. “I will probably have the opportunity to come back to the Philippines,” Mathou said towards the end of his message.
His sudden departure was met with a lot of thanks from both Filipinos and the local French community.
Written by: Andronico Del Rosario
Image source: Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia
