The US embassy in France bets on culture for relationship between Angers and Austin

US ambassador Charles H. Rivkin

The US ambassador in France, Charles H. Rivkin, made a visit in Angers on March the 23rd. That trip, his first trip in Maine-et-Loire, comes during a period which sees the Angers city trying to enhance its relationship with Austin, the state capital of Texas. The speech he delivered in the English Language Library in Angers has apparently not revealed important or next breakthrough for the future of the contacts between Angers and city. 

Saint-Edward University

According to the local medias, the ambassador's speech was "polite" (i.e. diplomatic) : he praised the balance in Angers of "tradition and modernity" and "economic development and environment protection". Nevertheless, he let foresee the culture could be a leverage for future exchanges between the two cities. If music was on the first place recently (an Angers delegation stayed in Austin for a music festival dedicated to professionnals), universities exchanges could be more continuous every year thanks to cooperation between the Université catholique de l'Ouest and Saint-Edward university which opened a few months ago a department in Angers and planned to open a campus in a neighbouring village.

But if Angers want to bet on culture to develop links and business with Austin, the city which already host an English Library will have to increase the place of that language in local life what could be, with the new brand "Angers Loire Valley" an original positioning at the level of the whole France.