Attorney-General Ali bin Fetais Al Marri and French President Francois Hollande during the inauguration ceremony of the second branch of Voltaire French School in Qatar yesterday.
Doha: French President Francois Hollande yesterday inaugurated the second branch of the Voltaire French School in Qatar.
Hollande, who is on his first official two-day visit to Qatar, said that France wants to have a strong presence here, keeping in view the country’s foreign policy and strategic interests.
“The French school was established with the joint collaboration of Qatar and France and it shows our presence in the country,” Hollande said. The French president also said that Qatari investments in France is welcome. He is also expected to hold talks with the Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to promote trade and investment between the two countries.
“French real estate experts will come to Qatar to discuss a number of projects soon,” Hollande said.
The French president and his delegation were welcomed at the Doha International Airport by the Minister of Energy and Industry H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Qatari Ambassador in Paris, Mohammad Jaham Abdul Aziz Al Kuwari and French Ambassador in Doha Jean-Christophe Peaucelle.
The first branch of the Lycee Voltaire was officially inaugurated by the former French President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008.
There are about 1,000 students enrolled in both the branches of Lycee Voltaire.
The medium of education in the school, which starts from primary and goes up to middle school, is French, Arabic and English.
The Attorney-General Ali bin Fetais Al Marri, who is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatari-French School, said that cooperation on education will strengthen ties between Qatar and France.
He said that he wanted to enrich the Qatari culture by promoting French education in the country.
“I want to enrich the Qatari culture, which is why we chose France. This school will expand the French speaking circle in Qatar,” Al Marri said, adding that France has a very rich history.
The French president also met the French community members at the opening of the new school, which is located in Al Waab area. He is expected to attend a business forum and later address a press conference in Doha today.
The Peninsula
