China – Meeting between Catherine Colonna and her Chinese counterpart (May 10, 2022)

On May 10, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna will meet with China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Paris.

Their meeting follows up on President Macron’s state visit to China on April 5-7. Ms. Colonna and Mr. Qin will review our bilateral relationship, particularly the revival of person-to-person exchanges. They will discuss international crises, especially the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as global challenges ahead of the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact.

Côte d’Ivoire – Visit by Chrysoula Zacharopoulou (May 11-12, 2023)

Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will be in Côte d’Ivoire on May 11-12 to follow up on Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna’s visit on December 11-12.

She will be hosted by Prime Minister Patrick Achi and Kandia Camara, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, African Integration and the Diaspora. They will discuss key aspects of our partnership with Côte d’Ivoire as well as regional and international issues

Following President Macron’s speech on February 27, this visit will focus on several priorities for the French-Ivorian relationship that are central to the renewal of our partnership with Africa. With that aim in mind, the minister will attend the opening of the Agora in Abobo, an innovative sports complex that promotes young Ivorians’ access to sports while fostering social cohesion and economic development. She will also take part in the launch of Vitropic, a project to enhance Côte d’Ivoire’s agricultural potential through a public-private partnership. Lastly, she will sign two financing agreements within the framework of the third Debt Reduction and Development Contract (C2D) aimed at developing civic services for young people and promoting the preservation and economic benefits of Côte d’Ivoire’s natural protected areas.

The minister of state will also take part in the first Executive Board meeting of the International Counterterrorism Academy (AILCT), which will be chaired by Ivorian Defense Minister Téné Birahima Ouattara. This event will mark the commitment taken by Côte d’Ivoire and France, and by the dozen contributing countries and organizations, to the Academy’s development and the emergence of a shared culture of counterterrorism rooted in a multidisciplinary approach that is both military, legal, academic and policing-oriented.

Global food security – France calls for extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative

France emphasizes that the Russian aggression against Ukraine aggravated global food insecurity and malnutrition by blocking Ukrainian food exports. France urges Russia to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative and to end its blackmail of global food security. It hails the efforts by the UN Secretary-General and Turkey to extend this agreement.

France and its partners will continue to step up their efforts to reduce the risks of food security weighing on the world’s most vulnerable populations, particularly through EU solidarity lanes, which are critical and have made it possible to ship 32 million tons of grain out of Ukraine since March 2022.