У истоков международной организации Франкофонии: роль Франции в образовании Агентства по культурному и техническому сотрудничеству (ACCT)

Abstract

This article studies the prerequisites of foundation of the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (now known as International Organization of Francophonie). The french role in the process of foundation of the ACCT has been analyzed. After the end of French colonial empire the leadership of France tried to keep cultural, economical and tecnical connections with the former colonies as soon as it helped to leave these countries under french political influence. Foreign policy of France was aimed to replace colonial relations by ‘cooperation’ strategy which was based on common culture and language. For realisation of this objective several official documents were signed (such as First and Second plans of actions to extend cultural and technical influence of France abroad); new organizations and structures in Ministry of Foreign Affaires were established; the budget for realisation the Francophonie policy was increased. The appearance of ACCT caused differend reactions among contemporaries, some of them assessed the new Organization as the neocolonial move and accused the former metropoly of attempts to refund new independent countries; others believed in perspective of Francophonie cooperation. Although the official initiators of establishmet of ACCT were africans political leaders (that was claimed in the constitutive convention) and French authorities spooke with restraint about an appearance of any international organisation based on idea of francophonie, it was general de Gaulle who was claimed as father-founder of Francophonie. The documents of Ministry of foreign affaires proved that French authorities gave huge attention to relations with francophonie countries, speacialy with former colonies, and encouraged arranging the international cooperation with them. The research focuses on the contradiction between public position of the French government and real actions in the sphere of intensification of french cultural policy and institutionalization of the Francophonie in 1970.