The Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC), Dr Richard Sezibera, yesterday held discussions with the outgoing French Ambassador to Tanzania, Jacques Champagne de Labriolle, on up scaling of relations between the bloc and France.

The French envoy had visited Sezibera at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania to bid himfarewell.

Ambassador Labriolle disclosed that France was in the process of consolidating its relations with African countries and views EAC as the best regional economic community in the continent.

He reiterated that his country was in good terms politically, economically and socially with all the five partner states that constitute the bloc.

Amb Sezibera hailed the French envoy for strengthening the relations between the EAC and France during his tenure of office. He noted that France was a committed development partner, which was among the first six signatories of the Regulations for the EAC Partnership Fund on 15 September 2006.

The Secretary General commended the European country for its technical assistance to support the implementation of the Protocol on the Establishment of the EAC Common Market.

The envoy was accompanied by the Head of Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the French Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Francois Leonardi.

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