France confers Shashi Tharoor with highest civilian honour

Congress MP and former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor has been conferred with the highest French civilian honour, 'Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur' for being a 'friend' of France and working for deepening Indo-French ties.Tharoor was conferred with honour by Chairman of the French Senate Gerard Larcher, at an event in French Residence. "The highest French civilian award comes in recognition of Tharoor's tireless efforts to deepen Indo-French ties, commitment to international peace and cooperation, and as a long-standing friend of France," the French Embassy in India said in a statement.The statement appreciated the 'remarkable personality' of Thiruvananthapuram MP for his range of talents. "Be it as a diplomat at the United Nations, where he worked to respond to some of the world's toughest crises, and served as Under-Secretary-General, as a renowned writer who has authored works imbued with the spirit of a contemporary Indian odyssey, or as a statesman in India," the statement added.Tharoor has also held the portfolios of Minister of State for External Affairs, and Human Resource Development. He was also appointed Director of Communications and Special Projects and Executive Assistant to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.Conferring the honour on Tharoor, Chairman of the French Senate Gerard Larcher called him a "friend of France", and a 'Francophone' with a keen understanding of the country and its culture.