insidetrack-abuja-Washington-Times: French National Day 2010

CLICK TO ENLARGE:
From top bottom: Mr and Mrs. Samosir of the Embassy of Indonesia;
Mr. and Mrs. Martin of the Embassy of Spain; Wife of the High Commissioner
of Pakistan; Mrs. Ronquillo of the Embassy of Italy; Marjolaine and Angie
of Nigerwives; Staff of the Embassy of France and guests; Staff of Zenith Bank;
Madam Garangan of the Embassy of the Philippines (left) with the
Ambassador of Romania; Mr. and Mrs. Garanganof the Embassy
of the Philippines; and the wife of the Deputy Head of Mission
of France (left) with guests.

A most enjoyable night took place at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Wednesday, the 14th of July 2010, when the French celebrated their National Day with a reception, where hundreds of guests that included the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, were invited.

In his speech, the Ambassador of France, H.E. JEAN-MICHEL DUMOND, said: "Today we commemorate the 1790 “Fête de la Fédération” held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison when delegates from all the regions of France proclaimed their allegiance to the national community. As President Sarkozy told the French Ambassadors in August 2009, 2010 will be an important year for the relation between Africa and France. Read more of the speech here...

The following photos were taken by INSIDE TRACK at the reception that featured French cuisine...ham and cheese, and lots of champagne!

French National Day, July 14, 2010;
Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel

The Ambassador of France, together with the
Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy and his wife,
welcome guests at the reception celebrating the French National Day.