French ambassador wants collaboration to face terror threat

NEW Ambassador of France to Trinidad and Tobago Serge Lavroff said there is room for the two countries to work more on defence and facing terror threats.

He was speaking on Wednesday as he presented his credentials to President Anthony Carmona at President's House, Port of Spain.

Lavroff said his three areas of focus are the economy, culture and defence and security matters.

"Today terrorism is a common threat to all of us. I am convinced there is room for making coming work to face this threat."

He stressed that terrorism knows no border and is globalised.

"It can hit everywhere in the world. Nobody is spared."

Thirteen people were detained earlier this month in relation to a terror threat to disrupt Carnival.

Carmona in his earlier remarks said he was aghast at the attack during Bastille Day celebrations in July 2016 in Nice, France when a 19 tonne cargo truck was deliberately driven into crowds of people resulting in the deaths of 86 people and the injury of 458 other. He lamented that people who are murdered and usually good people and this makes terror attacks even more depressing.

"We need good people, positive people, affirming people.'

Carmona recalled calling Lavroff's predecessor Hédi Picquart following the Bastille Day attack and empathising with him.

He also spoke of the terror attack in April last year on the Champs-Élysées shopping boulevard in Paris, France by a French national.

"That hit me for six."

Carmona explained that had he taken up a job at the International Criminal Court he could have been in Paris the weekend of the attack.