The Handbook for Protocol Officers, published in 1997, states that, in France, heads of State should exchange gifts after their initial meeting; This is often the case in other countries, unless the protocol services of both parties agree to exchange gifts on another occasion.
Indeed, it is traditional for heads of State to exchange gifts on diplomatic occasions. Gifts are usually the creations of famous artists, symbolizing friendly relations between two countries or reflecting the essence of a country's traditional art.
If it is a state visit, the "budget" of the president's gift can reach 1500 to 2000 euros; if it is a working visit, the standard of gifts is set at 300 to 400 euros. At the time of the official visit, the Elysee Palace is responsible for the transportation of gifts by special personnel and special cars. Gifts were previously the responsibility of the Protocol Department, but starting with President Nicolas Sarkozy, the department under the Chief of Staff of the Presidential Office was responsible.
In 1976, President Giscal Destin officially visited the United Kingdom. The Queen of England gave him a beautiful Labrador Hound. A few days after returning home, the Elysee Palace called the French Embassy in Britain and told him that the president liked the hound very much, but had a problem: such a beautiful and perfect dog could not understand French and did not follow the president's instructions. So what to do? The French ambassador suggested that his subordinates find a way for the British. So I acted immediately. When Buckingham Palace learned about the situation, it felt that the matter was beyond its own capabilities, so it was transferred to Windsor Castle, which was responsible for the royal gift. After some searching at Windsor Castle, the dog owner was found. The dog owner called several times and patiently explained the English password used to the hound dog. The ambassador wrote them down one by one and passed them on to the Elysee Palace. The Elysee Palace asked a stenographer who knew English to write down the password word for word. The Labrador Hound will finally sit down or fall down with the password.
François Mitterrand paid special attention to the selection of gifts for him, and set two rules for this: the gift must be French and try to match the taste of the other party. So, Ronald Reagan received a beautiful pair of Camargue saddles, and Juan Carlos, who loved motorcycle track obstacle courses, received a French motorcycle. François Mitterrand was also interested in promoting French creations, such as the world-famous handmade (Sèvres porcelain, Güblin-woven felt) and Nevre's ceramics, and he also liked to give sculptures or paintings to new French artists.
Sometimes, our leaders come up with some surprising gifts. King Bhumibol of Thailand was passionate about farming and raising livestock, and Jacques Chirac gave him two cows. In 1993, the President of Turkmenistan presented François Mitterrand with a thoroughbred horse. The horse was kept in the Château de Sujirabriz, the official residence of the French president, and President Mitterrand and Anna Panjo went to the castle on weekends, and their daughter Mazarina often rode it. The media once inquired about the whereabouts of the horse: it was sent to the national stallion and died of colic.
During François Hollande's visit to Algeria in December 2012, President Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika presented him with two armoured horses (a stallion and a mare). Coincidentally, on a visit to Mali in February 2013, François Hollande, who was about to return home, saw the President of Mali sending a camel on the tarmac of The Tumbutu airport. François Hollande touched the camel's head and said, "I will use you as much as possible as a means of transportation." "But the presidential plane returned home with a camel, which was always unsightly, so the subordinate department of the Elysee Palace left it in the local area and asked for care." The problem was that when I inquired about the camel later, I found that the presidential camel seemed to have been eaten by the "adoptive family" people.
——Excerpt from "The Secret of the President's Visit: From General De Gaulle to François Hollande"
The Secret of the President's Visit: From General de Gaulle to François Hollande
[Law] by Jean-Marie Gambaceres, translated by Qian Peixin
Published by Shanghai Far East Publishing House
Author: Jean-Marie Gambaceres Editor: Zhou Yiqian Responsible Editor: Zhang Yu