Feminist diplomacy – Mongolia – Visit by Catherine Colonna (June 28, 2023)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna will visit Ulaanbaatar on June 29 and 30 at the invitation of the Mongolian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Battsetseg Batmunkh.

Minister Colonna will take part in a foreign ministers meeting on feminist diplomacy and women’s rights that is being organized by Mongolia and co-sponsored by France and Germany.

The Minister’s visit is also intended to follow up on President Macron’s May 21^st state visit, which was the first visit to Mongolia by a French head of state. To this end, Minister Colonna has been invited to attend bilateral meetings by Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and Battsetseg Batmunkh.

Building on the dynamic created by the two heads of state in May, the Minister’s visit will allow France to deepen its partnership with Mongolia. This partnership aims to strengthen the two countries’ sovereignty and strategic autonomy in key sectors such as energy, critical metals, telecommunications, security and agriculture.

Ukraine – Condemnation of Russian strikes in Kramatorsk (June 28, 2023)

France utterly condemns the Russian strikes on a restaurant in Kramatorsk, which left at least 9 dead and 60 injured, including children, according to the Ukrainian authorities’ initial estimates, while the search for survivors in the rubble continues.

By targeting a place of leisure where Ukrainians went to seek some respite from the suffering inflicted by Russia’s war of aggression, Russia has once again deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure in a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna has repeatedly stressed, these unacceptable acts constitute war crimes and cannot go unpunished. By adding Russia to the infamous list of the Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict for murder, mutilation and attacks on schools and hospitals, the UN confirms the serious nature of the crimes that Russia has committed in Ukraine. We strongly reiterate our firm condemnation of Russia’s forcible transfer of Ukrainian children.

Working closely with its allies, France will continue to provide military support to Ukraine to help it strengthen its air defense capabilities, and to lend support to Ukrainian courts to combat impunity for such crimes.