PARIS — Nine years ago, a French diplomat serving in Georgia during Russia’s invasion was frantically trying to get a message to higher-ups back in Paris.
Russian tanks were rolling toward the capital, Tbilisi. Hundreds of French citizens needed to be airlifted home. A diplomatic solution was needed to stop bodies piling up.
But in the dead of France’s August break, no one in Paris wanted to be stirred. “They kept talking about consulting this or that authority,†said Eric Fournier, then ambassador to Georgia and now serving in Hungary. “Nothing was happening.â€
It was only when Fournier was able to reach a …read more
Source: European Voice
