In first Alaska visit, French ambassador talks climate change, Russia and the case of the missing French sled dog – Alaska Public Media

France’s ambassador to the USA is in Alaska, with a cease in Anchorage earlier than flying to the village of Quinhagak to go to the Nunalleq Tradition and Archaeology Middle, which is led by a French archaeologist.

It’s Ambassador Philippe Etienne’s first journey to the state, and, on his first day in Anchorage, he had not but seen any of the town’s charismatic mega-fauna. However Etienne has been assembly with state and native leaders and the native French neighborhood.

Etienne says he’s been discussing all the pieces from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, his diplomatic publish in Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed and, after all, local weather change.

Pay attention:

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The next transcript has been calmly edited for readability.

Philippe Etienne: Properly, all of us really feel (local weather change) very acutely. I imply, on all continents. We had simply, in Europe, two warmth waves already this summer season. And we’re additionally affected by drought, by fires, wildfires like the USA, however like many, many different components of the world. So it’s actually vital for all of us on the earth, reaching our objectives, limiting the worldwide warming. It’s actually vital to have the U.S. on board. It was good for us to have the U.S. again to the Paris Local weather Accords, and in addition the U.S. as a pacesetter on this world negotiation.

Casey Grove: Sort of altering gears, I had seen in your itinerary that you simply’re heading to the village of Quinhagak. And perhaps you can inform me about that. Why are you heading on the market?

PE: Sure, certainly, after Anchorage, we are going to go to with my colleagues in Quinhagak, as a result of we’ve got there a cooperation between the local people and a French archeologist, which is being supported by our authorities. This cooperation is about excavations of their area, within the previous village of Nunalleq. It’s actually vital, as a result of it’s about discovering objects, artifacts, which might disappear if they don’t seem to be regarded for, due to the worldwide warming, as a result of this, the permafrost, is now unfrozen. And the objects, which have been stored beneath the earlier circumstances, can’t be stored anymore.

CG: The place are you anticipating? I imply, have you ever seen footage? Have you learnt?

PE: Yeah, I’ve seen some footage of the results of the investigations, artifacts, which has been discovered. And I have to say, this morning, we have been additionally very fortunate as a result of we may go to each, right here in Anchorage, the Alaska Native Heritage Middle and the Anchorage Museum. And we, I, discovered quite a bit this morning, visiting these two locations.

CG: Yeah, that’s nice. We have now a pleasant museum right here, don’t we?

PE: Yeah, you may be happy with your museum, definitely an awesome museum.

CG: My spouse drags me there once in a while. She’s additionally the one which helps me with the French phrases within the crossword puzzle.

PE: OK! Properly, I thank her!

CG: I do too, on a regular basis!

I ought to ask you about Russia. And I do know that’s a broad query, however as a diplomat, do you’re feeling like there’s any hope that diplomacy will assist resolve the state of affairs in Ukraine? And I say that sitting right here in Alaska, the place we’re near the opposite aspect of Russia, proper? What do you consider that?

PE: We, particularly our president, we tried very a lot to stop this conflict, this invasion by Russia. Perhaps you keep in mind our President Macron traveled to Moscow some days earlier than, to attempt to persuade the Russian president that there was a negotiation which was attainable, as a result of all of us have to rethink the safety order in Europe, as soon as Russia has began its very brutal invasion of Ukraine. And whereas France had the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, so had the duty for the path of the entire of the European Union. We have been very clear in our decided, you realize, help of Ukraine. However to come back again to your preliminary query, after all we we wish to resolve these points with diplomacy. We have now all the time been saying this can be a cause why, additionally, our president stored in contact with not solely with the Ukrainian president on a regular basis, but in addition with the Russian president. In the meanwhile we see the conflict happening, with many losses, many human losses and even crimes, conflict crimes. So we’ve got to, we can not settle for this. We proceed to help the Ukrainian folks of their brave struggle towards this aggression.

CG: You talked about that you simply had held a publish in Moscow about 30 years in the past. And I used to be making an attempt to do the maths, if that was simply earlier than the collapse of the Soviet Union or simply…

PE: On the time of the top of the Soviet Union.

CG: What was that like? I imply, to have seen that for your self?

PE: Properly, it was historical past within the making, and naturally it was not straightforward for the Russian folks. We should perceive that higher. It was additionally a interval of a freedom, for alternatives, for everyone, together with the Russians, additionally for nations in Central Europe and different nations from the earlier Soviet Union. So a troublesome time, a transition a time of alternatives, but in addition of hope.

CG: Yeah. That’s fascinating. So many people simply watched it on TV, you realize, and I used to be only a boy. So it’s fascinating to satisfy somebody that was there.

PE: It was actually spectacular. Spectacular, sure, to be there at the moment.

CG: Properly, I wished to ask you, and I don’t wish to say that this can be a extra lighthearted query, as a result of there was some seriousness concerned, however there are a pair French canine mushers that compete within the Iditarod. And final 12 months, I feel he was a rookie, one named Sebastien dos Santos Borges, who misplaced a canine on the path, Leon. And there was a seek for Leon, I feel three months glided by. Had you heard about that? And, I imply, do you suppose that that state of affairs may have been helped by some diplomacy?

PE: I heard about that solely as I arrived in Alaska, I’m so completely happy that Sebastien discovered his canine once more. We have now right here (in Anchorage) an honorary consulate. And we’ve got our Normal Consulate in San Francisco, which is competent for the French communities right here in Alaska. (There) are very, very good folks lively in lots of, many fields, together with tourism and sport, but in addition training or enterprise or artwork. So I don’t know whether or not diplomacy would have helped discover the poor canine extra quickly, however after all, we can be found every time crucial if French residents want some assist. Once more, I don’t know the way far we might have been capable of assist however we can be found for any any challenge.

CG: In order that was a superb reply to a foolish query.

PE: No, no, there isn’t any foolish query. And I perceive the emotion attributable to the destiny of this canine. These are stunning and very nice canine, how do you say, who’re drawing these sledges?

CG: Yep.