Friday, 23 February 2024,Saarbrücken, The Saarland, Germany: The French Ambassador to Germany, François Delattre, visited the Premier of the Saarland and Plenipotentiary for Franco-German Cultural Relations, Anke Rehlinger, in the State Chancellery.
It was the first visit by Delattre, who has been France’s ambassador to Germany since 2022. Delattre and Rehlinger not only discussed the role of the Saarland in German-French relations, but also spoke about cross-border cooperation between Germany and France as a driving force for future European policy. Rehlinger and Delattre agreed, especially in the European election year and after such drastic events as Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, unity and cohesion at the European level is needed. “We have been a role model for cross-border friendship and cross-border solutions for 60 years,” said Rehlinger. “This applies to the Saarland and the greater region as well as to Germany and France. This role model function needs to be further strengthened and filled with life. Education and culture are the best enablers here – they promote understanding and interest and pave the way for cooperation on other topics. I am pleased to have a committed partner at my side in the French ambassador for the common Franco-German cause.”
In addition to education and culture, the cross-border development of the hydrogen economy was also at the center of the conversation, as was the Olympic Games taking place in Paris this summer.
“I was very pleased to visit Premier Anke Rehlinger here in Saarbrücken, with whom we already work very closely, as well as her employees. As everyone knows, Saarland, with its French strategy, the headquarters of the French Chamber of Commerce in Germany, the Franco-German University and the very close cross-border economic integration with the Moselle department and the entire Grand Est region, is a role model for the German federal states -French relationship. In addition, Anke Rehlinger, as representative for German-French cultural relations, is at the forefront of our joint commitment to ensure that the language of our partner is taught more in Germany and France in order to enable our young people to get to know each other even better and to relate to each other to become the driving forces behind building our common future. Thank you, Anke Rehlinger, for your commitment,” said Ambassador François Delattre as per statement linked below.
Delattre arrived on Thursday to visit the Dillinger Hütte with Minister of Economy Jürgen Barke. This was also about the transformation of the steel industry through hydrogen. Later in the day, Delattre met with Premier Anke Rehlinger, the head of the State Chancellery and European representative David Lindemann and the German ambassador to France, Stephan Steinlein. Steinlein was also a guest at the State Chancellery for discussions.
In advance of his official inaugural visit and conversation with the Premier of the Saarland, Delattre also visited State Assembly Speaker Heike Winzent and Saarbrücken’s Mayor Uwe Conradt on Friday.
For further information
Government of The Saarland: https://www.saarland.de/stk/DE/aktuelles/medieninfos/medieninfo/2024/pm_2024-02-23-franzoesischer-botschafter-zum-antrittsbesuch-stk.html
