Diplomacy is frequently a witness to history. And that is what first attracted the French Ambassador to Malta, HE Michel Vandepoorter, to a diplomatic career.

“By the end of secondary school, I was already forming the idea of becoming a diplomat. I was fascinated by the historical element in diplomacy.”

There is also the attraction of living in a foreign country.

“You are sitting in your office and you receive a call that you will be posted to Malta. So you start doing your research: you read, follow, discover and grow more curious about the country you will be posted to. It is both an intellectual process and a bit like falling in love.

“I didn’t know a lot about Malta before I was posted here. Between 1977 and 1981, while serving in Tunisia, we had some friends who used to visit Malta regularly and they would tell us about it. But despite never having visited the island before, I spent three years in Greece so I knew the region well. When I was proposed to serve as Ambassador to Malta, I was very pleased as I consider this region to be a very important one.

“From my very first day in Malta, my main effort was to enhance the level of knowledge between the two countries. The relations were already very good, but France didn’t know a lot about Malta, and vice versa. Let’s take history, for instance. It’s unfair to judge France solely on the arrival of General Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 and the two-year blockade that followed. Moreover, in those two years, good initiatives were taken, such as the abolishment of slavery and the introduction of public schools.

“Since Malta’s EU accession, know-ledge between the two countries has improved a lot, also thanks to state visits and diplomatic efforts.

“I think the Maltese had an old-fashioned impression of France. There was a lack of frequent exchange between the two countries and, apart from Paris, the Maltese knew little of other cities and regions.

“Yet France is so much more than that. It’s not just wine, cheese, Paris and Disneyland. For instance, Maltese entrepreneurs should be aware how France is very strong in innovation. In its October 2013 ranking of the world’s most innovative countries, the Thomson-Reuters Agency placed France in third position. The car and luxury markets are very strong, as is the production of sustainable energy. France is also pulling into the lead in the video games market.

“My focus is also to attract French businesses to Malta. Together with my colleagues, I want to show France that Malta is not just a museum and that it has a modern industry and efficient financial services.

“The two countries can also be a good example to each other. Marseilles, for instance, was the European Capital of Culture for 2013 and Valletta will have that status in 2018. Malta can see what Marseilles has done and learn that being the European Capital of Culture is not a one-off event but an opportunity for continuation and growth.

“Malta and France already have a very good relationship and there is an encouraging presence of French businesses in Malta. However, we must achieve a stronger continuity.

“I am also very pleased with the rapid growth of French tourists visiting Malta. The latest statistics place France as the fourth market for tourism in Malta. In the last French cabinet reshuffle, tourism was placed under the remit of foreign affairs, which means that both can work in greater synergy.”

Ambassador Vandepoorter has spent 41 years in diplomacy and held various challenging posts.

“The most difficult part of a diplomatic career is that you can be far from family and friends. I have friends in Paris who I only see a couple of times a year. I also miss seeing my grandchildren growing up, even though they visit frequently.

“However, being a diplomat has great rewards. In Malta, I was honoured to be here for French President Francois Hollande’s state visit to Malta in 2012 for the Euro-Mediterranean 5+5 meeting. It was the first visit of a French head of state to Malta, since when Nicolas Sarkozy visited, he was President-elect and hadn’t been invested yet.

“Every day as a diplomat is different and interesting. Malta will have a special place in my heart since it will be my last posting before I retire. But that is another chapter.”