The Mediterranean, the theater of the world, conscience of history
On October 8 and 9, Toulon hosted the 4th edition of the Rencontres Stratégiques de la Méditerranée (RSMed) organized by the Fondation Méditerranéenne…
On this occasion, François de Canson, vice-president of the Région Sud, delivered a significant speech on the geopolitical, cultural, and spiritual importance of the Mediterranean. "It is here, in Toulon, a port of vigilance and courage, that France looks at the Mediterranean," declared François de Canson, praising the role of the FMES as a "school of lucidity" and "crucible of a French strategic thought." For the regional representative, the Mediterranean is not just a sea, but "a wound and a promise": a witness to wars, exiles, and divisions, it also remains the cradle of civilizations and the symbol of faith in peace.
"The Mediterranean is a moral space, where humanity still questions its destiny," he insisted. Faced with the fractures of the modern world — wars, migrations, climate change, rivalries of influence —, France must, according to him, remain a balancing power.
He praised the work of the FMES, led by Admiral Pascal Ausseur, which "teaches vigilance, discernment, and critical thinking," in an era when "disinformation sows doubt." Returning to the return of tragedy in history, he recalled that "high-intensity war is no longer a hypothesis," calling for lucidity and compassion: "Free peoples do not have the right to be naive.
To watch is to hold on, it is to refuse hatred without giving up on justice." François de Canson also highlighted the commitment of the Région Sud to defense and sovereignty: as the leading region in France for Ministry of the Armed Forces personnel and military real estate, it has built a long-term policy, supporting the Base Industrielle et Technologique de Défense and launching the Parcours Défense with the DGA and the FMES.
An Opération d'Intérêt Régional "Sécurité-Défense" will reinforce this strategic ecosystem. Addressing the young people present, over 800 high school students, he stressed that "the first battlefield is conscience: intellectual rearmament must give them a taste for truth, a sense of the collective, and the pride of belonging to a Nation that acts."
Finally, he concluded on the vocation of the South and France: "In the light of this sea, France must once again become what it should never have ceased to be: a power of balance, dialogue, and sovereignty. The South is France in all its truth: open, proud, courageous, and lucid.
Vigilance is not fear: it is the modern form of courage."
Photos PRESSE AGENCE.