Madagascar-French relations - bilateral diplomatic relations between Madagascar and France .
Madagascar-French relations | |||||
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History
In 1643, the French East India Company reached the shores of Madagascar and founded a settlement in the southern part of the island called Fort-Dauphine (now known as Taulanara ), which existed until 1674. Many French pirates have settled in Madagascar and the nearby island of Sainte-Marie . In 1883, the French government sent a military expedition to Madagascar, which eventually turned into an armed conflict between the indigenous people of the island and the French, which went down in history as the Franco-Malagasy wars . At the end of the war, Madagascar became a French protectorate, but almost immediately the second phase of the conflict began, as Queen Ranavaluna III raised a rebellion. In 1895, Ranavaluna III ceased resistance and Madagascar finally became part of the French Empire [1] .
During World War II, Madagascar was ruled by the Vichy regime . In May 1942, the Madagascar operation began, soldiers of the British Empire landed in the northern part of Madagascar near the city of Antsiranana . The British government feared that Japan might seize Madagascar and use it as a military base to control the Indian Ocean . In November 1942, the operation ended with the victory of the British and the Vichy regime fell on this island [2] . Shortly after the end of World War II, Madagascar demanded independence from France. In March 1947, the Madagascar uprising began, which ended in December 1948 with the defeat of the rebels by French troops [3] .
Since 1958, Madagascar began to seek greater autonomy from its metropolis. France proposed to Madagascar three options for the country's future in a constitutional referendum in September 1958: to become an overseas territory ; department ; union state. Residents of Madagascar voted for the third option. The first president of Madagascar Philibert Tsiranana retained an allied relationship with France, economic and defense relations were at their best [4] .
Currently, political and cultural relations between countries remain strong. The leaders of both countries meet regularly, Madagascar is the beneficiary of the economic assistance from the French government. Madagascar is home to several thousand natives of France, and in France there is a large Madagascar diaspora [5] .
Trading
In 2012, the volume of trade between the countries amounted to 632 million euros . Madagascar exports to France: textiles, agricultural and fish products. France exports to Madagascar: mechanical and electrical appliances, food and beverages. A number of French multinational companies are represented in Madagascar, especially in the banking, telephone and energy industries, in particular, such as: Crédit Agricole , Société Générale , Orange and Total [5] .
Diplomatic missions
- France has an embassy in Antananarivo [6] .
- Madagascar maintains an embassy in Paris , as well as consulates general in Marseille and Saint-Denis [7] .
Notes
- ↑ History of Madagascar
- ↑ Madagascar Campaign
- ↑ Madagascar Rebellion
- Of Solofo Randrianja and Stephen Ellis, Madagascar: a Short History, The University of Chicago Press, 2009
- ↑ 1 2 French Foreign Ministry: Madagascar (in French
- ↑ Embassy of France in Antananarivo (in French)
- Assy Embassy of Madagascar in Paris (in French)