Chennai, Dec 1 (PTI): Senator of French citizens living outside France, Damien Regnard on Wednesday called on state industries minister Thangam Thennarasu here as part of boosting ties between France and Tamil Nadu.

Regnard arrived in the country on November 27, his second visit, and went to neighbouring Puducherry, a former French colony. An elected representative of the Republic, Regnard sits in the Upper House of the French Parliament and is a specialist in the French business community.

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On his arrival to Chennai, he visited the Allaince Francaise and later met the Minister.

After the meeting, Regnard said the dynamism of the economy of Tamil Nadu and the potential of cooperation had convinced him to come back to Chennai.

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"I had a very fruitful meeting with the Minister. I have invited him for an official visit to France during 2022", he told PTI.

French Consul General Lise Talbot Barre said France and Tamil Nadu have long standing historical and cultural relations.

"The objective of Senator Regnard's visit is to highlight the strong economic ties (between France and Tamil Nadu). More than 140 French companies have settled down in TN.. they keep investing in TN in spite of the pandemic", she said.

"There is a strong potential for more business ties and cooperation between France and Tamil Nadu," she said.

In Puducherry, the Senator visited French companies and took part in a series of high-level exchanges to support the development and economic relations between the two countries.

He had a brief meeting with Puducherry Chief Minister Rangaswamy and Minister of Home Affairs Namassivayam. Later, he visited the famous chocolate factory Mason and Cie, founded by two French nationals in the Union Territory.

On his last leg of the trip to Chennai, the official would visit the National Wind Energy Research Institute, the release said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)