UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION
CORSE MATIN, FRIDAY 3 APRIL, 2009
AJACCIO AND ITS REGION
THE AMBASSADOR OF MALAYSIA
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF NAPOLEON
The Ambassador of Malaysia to France is currently visiting the Imperial City. His name is Dato? S. Thanarajasingam. Therefore, people, no matter in which country he is, prefer to call him His Excellency, so that they do not mispronounce his full name. Yesterday afternoon, the Mayor and MP Simon Renucci had the privilege and honor to receive him in the Napoleon Hall. A nice gesture that delighted the Ambassador of Malaysia, ?highly interested in the history of Emperor Napoleon I?, which he studied in his youth. An historic figure about which he had ?heard a lot? and whose ?native town? he had wished to visit ?for a long time?.
Culture, tourism and economic development on the agenda
A three-day visit. Three days to discover Corsica, particularly the Imperial City. The Mayor thus expressed ?his pride to receive His Excellency in the Napoleon Hall?. He also thanked ?the honorary consul in Marseilles, Jean-Pierre de Bono, for having made this meeting possible?. He added: ?One has seldom the opportunity to discuss with a diplomat and a man of letters, who has held high-level posts across the world, notably New York, New Delhi, Brazil, Surinam and Venezuela. Your career reminds me of this sentence by Lamartine: ?No man is complete if he has not traveled extensively?. ?Your country, Malaysia, is rich in its ethnic diversity, its history and its attachment to traditional values. I hope that your stay among us will help you create new and fraternal ties between Malaysia and Corsica, ties that will be solid and strong, the kind of ties described in a proverb from your Country: ?A rope of three strands is not easily parted?. The two figures then discussed the Ambassador?s interest in the local companies, his meeting with the port officials, as well as his exchanges with Daniel Charavin, the director of the Tourism Agency of Corsica on Wednesday.
They also talked about the possibility of having air services between the Isle of Beauty and Malaysia. Until then, H.E. the Ambassador of Malaysia stressed that the ties with the destination France were getting stronger, with more daily flights between Malaysia and Paris, which is already a good start.
Lucile CAITUCOLI-CIATTONI