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Facilitating travel between Jersey and France remains essential for good collaboration between the two neighbouring jurisdictions, the French Ambassador stressed during her visit to Jersey today.
Hélène Duchêne, who was appointed in October 2022, was in Jersey for the first time in her current role, having visited the island once as a teenager.
Speaking to Express, she said: "In coming here, I want to record good relations and positive relations between France and Jersey.
"We have as you know historical links and cultural links.
"I visited the Alliance Française – of course, French speaking and French teaching is important.
"We are neighbours, we are very near neighbours."
Ambassador Duchêne stressed the importance of economic ties between France and Jersey.
However, she referenced "difficulties" during last year's negotiations, which eventually allowed French nationals to travel to Jersey for day trips using only their ID cards.
Pictured: Around a third of French day-trippers used their ID cards to travel to Jersey in 2023, according to Jersey Customs and Immigration.
Ambassador Duchêne highlighted the particular importance of allowing French school groups to use their ID cards to enter Jersey.
"We have the feeling that if you want good relations between two countries, between societies, they have to greet each other," she said.
"So it’s really important."
Ambassador Duchêne had a packed schedule, watching the start of the morning's States Assembly sitting, and meeting Jersey Ministers and senior officials with a focus on education, culture, connectivity and economic links.
She also met representatives from Société Jersiaise and was due to visit Gorey Castle, as well as attend a dinner hosted by the Bailiff – as is standard for visiting dignitaries.
Pictured: Pêtchi owner Joe Baker is one of the chefs behind a specially-created Jersey-French menu.
Ambassador Duchêne is due to be served a specially-created Jersey-French menu, a collaboration between Franco-British Young Leader Gregory Cuilleron and Joe Baker at Pêtchi.
She also visited the exhibition 'When Marianne and Britannia Meet', currently on display at Société Jersiaise, which marks 120 years since the Entente Cordiale – a series of agreements between the UK and France that formed the basis of diplomatic cooperation in a range of areas.
Jersey were "great hosts", said Ambassador Duchêne.
The visit of @AmbDuchene has begun this morning in Jersey meeting representatives at @AFJersey. Later on @AmbDuchene will tour an exhibition @Soc_Jersiaise
— Ministry of External Relations Jersey (@GlobalJerseyCI) June 11, 2024
This is the first visit made to Jersey by a French Ambassador since May 2016. pic.twitter.com/aaEAAZSfCc
"My feeling is that you develop relations with people when you know them, when you meet them," she added.
"Relations are about human beings, people speaking to each other.
"So all the things we can do to develop tourism, to develop changes, but also to develop memory – for example this exhibition [When Marianne and Britannia Meet] – is also recalling what we do together.
"So I think all the things linking to people to people are very important."
Pictured top: Ambassador Hélène Duchêne greets leaders of Société Jersiaise on her visit to Jersey this week.
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