Of the modern great powers France stands out for many years of mutual friendship with our country. Therefore, we take for granted the strategic relationship of support and cooperation expressed in the slogan “Greece-France-Alliance”.

But in relations between states, interests often take precedence over feelings. To enlist the favor of Kemalism, during the campaign of the Greek army in Asia Minor, France abandoned its ally Greece; Greece, because of the Cypriots, joined the anti-colonial front during the Algerian crisis. However, in today’s situation, feelings and interests coincide, Greek-French cooperation has prospects and opportunities.

Without underestimating the many important state successes, it is necessary to deepen the Franco-Greek cooperation and bring it to other levels. It’s common knowledge that often functions and declarations don’t produce corresponding tangible results. Between the highest level and official diplomacy and subsequent actions, Gallic intentions, there is a gap in communication and work. Structural differences between the Greek and French administrative entities make it difficult or even hinder results. In confidential conversations, French officials express frustration and intolerance.

At the recent Delphi Economic Forum, another attempt was made to bridge the gap between policy decisions and their implementation. For four hours, in four interconnected meetings, Greek and French experts participated in an open workshop. They were selected not through the usual bureaucratic procedures and balancing procedures, but through personal networks of cooperation and trust. The informal, informal nature of the meeting and, above all, the common French language ensured the immediacy of the dialogue. For the first time, the historical language of diplomacy was used at the Delphi Economic Forum.

The co-authors do not realize how important the French language is, especially in conversations with the French, for whom its use is a national cultural value. The success of defense cooperation owes much to the exceptional French language of the prime minister and the minister of national defence. National officials rarely speak French – in fact, in the recent past, French was abolished as a compulsory language in the Foreign Office! The easy-to-use “common” English is not the native language of either the Greeks or the French. Let’s think about how familiar Greek-speaking foreign experts and diplomats seem to us, and how quickly a comfortable and trusting relationship is established.

We organized the Greek-French Delphi Seminar together with our colleague Michel Foucher, a well-known geopolitical analyst and diplomat. The topic covered and analyzed current geopolitical issues: energy, defense, demography, religion, democracy, the rule of law – everything that prevails in Europe and the world. He was addressed by prominent figures of French science and diplomacy, including Joseph Maila, French-Lebanese expert on the Middle East and the geopolitics of religions, Manuel Lafont-Rapnouille, director of the Center for Analysis, Forecasting and Strategy of the French Ministry. Foreign Affairs and Admiral Pascal Osser, Director of the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies. They spoke French with Nikiforos Diamanturos, Ino Afentoulis, Alexandra Sduku and Alexis Chrysostalis.

The Delphi Forum, although an economic institution by definition, makes a great contribution to public diplomacy. It aims to create strong links of dialogue between experts, hence the openness to French speakers. It has recently begun to expand through the establishment and operation of the newly established OECD Center in Crete, focusing on population issues, ie demography, migration and the diaspora. The Center will operate in the Organization’s two official languages, English and French.

France faces related vital problems with well-known economic and political consequences: aging, labor shortages, immigration, xenophobia. Therefore, the field for cooperation is very wide. Responsible for the French language is the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, French-born Greek Chrysoula Zaharopoulou – another reason to increase the awareness of Greek officials about the French language.

*Georgos Prevelakis is Professor Emeritus of Geopolitics at the Sorbonne.