Day: 10 September 2018

Mrs Nicole Vatrican will be giving a talk entitled: “Antoine 1er, Prince of Monaco, musician and patron” at  the Théâtre des Variétés de Monaco on Monday, October 1, at 19:30.

The Duke of Valentinois, Antoine was born at the court of Versailles. He showed a very early interest in Music. His life was that of a courtier whom the Sun King honoured with his friendship. Everything changes with the advent of Prince Antoine. He settled in Monaco and maintained correspondence with his old friends: Destouches, Lully and Couperin.

During the 30 years of his reign he strove to revive Monaco, especially emphasising the artistic life he had known at the Court of Versailles.

A certified teacher of Music Education, Nicole Vatrican taught for many years at the Lycée Albert 1er of Monaco. During the last 12 years of her professional life, Mrs Vatrican was Deputy Director of the Academy of Music, Prince Rainier III Foundation.

The talk will be followed by a cocktail in the foyer of the Théâtre des Variétés. The price of tickets is five euros for members and 10 euros for non-members.

For friends who would like to join us, the annual fee for 2019 is 100 euros or 150 euros per couple. You can book your tickets with our Secretary General by e-mail: secretaire@amisduprintempsdesarts.com or 06.80.86.23.57

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, September 7, held talks with HSH Prince Albert II, pledging to further promote bilateral friendly ties with the European country in order to bear new fruits.

Hailing Prince Albert II and the Monaco royal family for their commitment to developing relations with China, Xi said Monaco has followed a path of development with its own specific features.

Though far away from each other, China and Monaco have set a model of friendship and common development between big and small countries as the two countries respect each other and treat each other on an equal footing, said Xi.

“China has always said that no matter big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, all countries are equal members of the international community,” said Xi, adding that it is something inherent in the building of a new type of international relations.

He called on both countries to maintain close exchanges, discuss cooperation in areas of environmental protection, climate change, clean energy, low carbon and wild animal protection under the Belt and Road Initiative and further promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Prince Albert is a member of the International Olympic Committee and supported China in hosting the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, said Xi.

Prince Albert II said he was touched as Xi invited him for a state visit despite his very busy schedule.

He told Xi this was his tenth visit to China and on each trip he sees new achievements in the social, economic and cultural areas in China.

Prior to his arrival in Beijing, Prince Albert II went to northeast China’s Jilin province to visit bee-keeping and Siberian tigers protection projects and was “impressed by China’s achievements in environmental protection.”

While hailing bilateral ties and China’s role in international affairs, especially Xi’s outstanding contribution to global governance and the fight against climate change, Prince Albert II said Monaco is willing to enhance win-win cooperation with China.

Before the talks, Xi held a welcoming ceremony for Prince Albert II at the Great Hall of the People. Prince Albert II is paying a state visit to China from Sept 5 to 8 at the invitation of Xi.

As part of Prince Albert II’s visit to China, and in his presence, Martin Peronnet, General Manager of Monaco Telecom, and Shi Weiliang, General Manager of Huawei, France, signed an agreement in Beijing on Friday, September 7, aiming to make the Principality the first country to have 5G coverage.

This signature is part of the partnership initiated in 2012 between the Monegasque operator and the Chinese giant, a world leader in fixed and mobile networks.

Frédéric Genta, Interministerial Delegate in charge of digital transition, was also present. He said that the launch of 5G confirms Monaco’s ambitions in terms of connectivity as part of digital transition.

”5G will indeed be a key vector for the growth of the digital economy and the development of the smart-city and help to provide the best quality of life in the world in Monaco, via digital,” he said.

A first pilot zone will be operational from the end of September at the Monaco Yacht Show and the Network will be fully deployed to host the first expected commercial terminals by mid-2019.

The EFTA Group of the Council of the European Union, in charge of the follow-up of the negotiations for the conclusion of an Association Agreement between Monaco and the EU, has just completed a three-day working visit to the Principality.

Gilles Tonelli, Minister of External Relations and Cooperation, said he was satisfied with the outcome of the visit whose objectives were achieved: “In the event of a conclusion to the negotiations, it is the EU Council which will ultimately have to approve the draft agreement that has been finalised. It is therefore essential that the diplomats of the EU Member States, who are responsible for our negotiations, can see for themselves the realities of the country in a very concrete way. The eclecticism of the program and the numerous exchanges with a wide variety of partners, both institutional and private, have shown the different faces of Monaco and its economy. This type of study visit is essential for the arguments that support our claims to be verified in order to be admitted.”

Philip Bittner, Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Austria to the EU and Chairman-in-Office of the EFTA Group, said that this visit had enabled the members of the Group to “better understand the commitments made by the Principality of Monaco and expectations for the future association agreement with the European Union, which must take into account the particular situation of the country, in accordance with Article 8 of the EU Treaty.”

He added that the European Union and the Principality of Monaco are each stable and reliable partners between whom cooperation is excellent.