 Prime Minister Hon. Philip J. Pierre continues to engage St. Lucia's international partners. On February 2, the Prime Minister, along with Minister for External Affairs Hon. Alva Baptiste, held talks with France's Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, Chris Soula, Zahalapolo, Minister Zahalapolo and the visiting French delegation, which included Ambassador His Excellency Francis Aitien, received updates on European-funded projects on island during high-level discussions with other senior government officials. Discussions with the French delegation at the Prime Minister's official residence at VG Castries centered on advancing cooperation on strategic developmental areas. No doubt from a historical perspective we have been tied to a common destiny and this administration and the Prime Minister in particular has always been keen on cooperating with the French as we pursue common objectives of humanity. St. Lucia and France reaffirmed their respective commitments to continue nurturing their storied diplomatic relationship and exploring avenues to enhance developmental support. I had a very fruitful meeting with the Prime Minister and we exchanged and we underlined both of us the importance of our cooperation but also our friendship. France is a Caribbean nation too and I'm happy to see the excellent cooperation between St. Lucia and Martinique and Guadeloupe and I came also to add the line that we're going to work and we're going to strengthen the regional integration.