FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has been gifted a bottle of Scottish Parliament whisky - a gesture highlighting the "long friendship" between the nations of the Auld Alliance.
During the Franco British Summit held at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Friday, leader on the Franco-British Council and Scottish Parliament advisor Archippus Sturrock gave Macron a bottle of single malt whisky and a letter highlighting the historic friendship between Scotland and France.
Sturrock tweeted: “Today at the Élysée Palace, I presented President @EmmanuelMacron with a bottle of @ScotParl single malt whisky and a letter recounting the words of General Charles de Gaulle upon his visit to Scotland in 1942 in which he described the alliance between Scotland and France as the oldest alliance in the world and said ‘no people had been more generous with their friendship’ than the Scottish.
“Merci M. le Président.”
Today at the Élysée Palace, I presented President @EmmanuelMacron with a bottle of @ScotParl single malt whisky and a letter recounting the words of General Charles de Gaulle upon his visit to Scotland in 1942 in which he described the alliance between Scotland and France as the… https://t.co/fw3QuMKPB4 pic.twitter.com/dG7sG7rVUk
— Archippus Sturrock (@Archie_Sturrock) March 10, 2023
The summit was attended by Macron as well as numerous ministers in the French government.
Following the meeting, Sturrock told The National that while the Auld Alliance began as a military relationship, it has matured into one which promotes the shared ideals of equality and democracy.
He said: “It was an immense privilege to be invited to the Élysée Palace to discuss the future of cross-Channel relations with Emmanuel Macron and ministers at the Franco-British Summit.
“Scotland and France share a long friendship. Once a military arrangement, the new Auld Alliance is one underpinned by shared values of equality and democracy and is nourished by our common work on cultural exchange, climate change and human rights.”
Hope that President @EmmanuelMacron enjoys his bottle of Scottish Parliament single malt whisky. Congrats to @Archie_Sturrock for his tireless promotion of Scottish-French relations. #VieilleAlliance #AuldAlliance 🏴🇫🇷🇪🇺 https://t.co/kJtv9RyghP
— Angus Robertson (@AngusRobertson) March 10, 2023
Angus Robertson, cabinet secretary for external affairs, thanked Sturrock for his work fostering relations between Scotland and France.
He tweeted: “Hope that President @EmmanuelMacron enjoys his bottle of Scottish Parliament single malt whisky. Congrats to @Archie_Sturrock for his tireless promotion of Scottish-French relations. #VieilleAlliance #AuldAlliance”
The Franco-British Council is an independent organisation that seeks to foster relationships and dialogue between the UK and France.
It encourages Scots to apply to its leadership programmes, which help both young professionals and those from disadvantaged backgrounds find opportunities for collaboration between the two countries.
