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Franco-British Entente Cordiale Conference

19 November 2004, 0:00

The Entente Cordiale came in an era of frantic imperial expansion and was initially regarded as just a diplomatic accord to carve up spheres of influence between Britain and France. Yet the document signed by British Foreign Secretary Lord Lansdowne and the French ambassador in London, Paul Cambon, one century ago was the culmination of a long diplomatic process, and it was underpinned by a strong friendly sentiment on both sides of the Channel, as the rapturous reception which welcomed King Edward VII’s State Visit to Paris in 1903 indicated all too clearly!

The conference paid tribute to this century of cross-Channel co-operation, whilst also being concerned with the current state of Franco-British defence and security relations, the lessons that the two nations have learnt, their joint experience in managing European and global crises, and the future security arrangements which may shape the continent.