The French Embassy in Abu Dhabi has decided to celebrate the national day through the Embassy's website and on social media channels, in line with the current safety measures and public health recommendations.

Each year, on the 14th of July, Bastille Day, which marks the anniversary of the 1789 French revolution, is a much awaited event in the UAE's capital, gathering more than 1,500 guests, including UAE senior officials, diplomats and members of the local French community, in one of the city's most prestigious hotels.

"The French community as a whole is grateful to the UAE leadership for taking the necessary steps to protect the population. We are therefore fully committed to respect and implement the safety measures in place," stated French Ambassador Ludovic Pouille. "However, we could not imagine to simply cancel our National Day. This is how we came up with an innovative and creative concept of an online ceremony."

"As explained by the French Ambassador, the three priorities of this year's ceremony in the UAE are firstly, to honour the victims of this awful pandemic, in the UAE, in France, and elsewhere in the world; secondly, to pay tribute to the French citizens in the UAE - doctors, teachers, cultural actors, soldiers, civil servants, business chambers and so on - who have helped the community to overcome these challenging times, in full coordination with the UAE authorities, at both federal and local levels; thirdly, to highlight the outstanding partnership between France and the UAE, which has continued to flourish during these exceptional circumstances," read a press release from the French Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The one-hour ceremony on the theme of solidarity will include an original performance of both Emirati and French anthems, two ministerial speeches, as well as a short musical concert.

Antoine Alheritiere, the Embassy's head of communications, in charge of organising the event, said, "The French Embassy's audience on the social networks - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - has been growing rapidly in recent years, and our digital communication has been of utmost importance during the current crisis to keep our fellow citizens well informed."

"Our Digital national day is an unprecedented experiment in the UAE. It is an open event, accessible to all. The speeches will be in French and Arabic, with English subtitles. We will be streaming the ceremony on Facebook and Twitter (@FranceEmirats), on 14th July, starting from 7 pm. Come and join us !"

30,000 French nationals reside in the UAE.

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