UN – Visit by Catherine Colonna to New York (July 17-18, 2023)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna will visit New York on July 17 and 18.

More than 500 days after Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine, the Minister will attend a meeting of the UN Security Council on July 17 organized by the Council’s British presidency on the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the prospects for a just and lasting peace, as well as a commemoration of the 25^th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Ms. Colonna will meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss major international crises, human rights and the global challenges we must face collectively. This meeting follows the Secretary-General’s visit to Paris and their last conversation at the Quai d’Orsay on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact on June 22 and 23.

This visit will give the Minister an opportunity to extend her discussions with her counterparts, including Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, in order to reiterate France’s long-term support for Ukraine.

She will also give a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on France’s multilateral diplomacy and its work at the UN.

United Kingdom – Visit by Laurence Boone, Minister of State for Europe, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs (July 13-14, 2023)

Laurence Boone, Minister of State for Europe, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will visit London (United Kingdom) on July 13 and 14. Following the Franco-British summit of March 10, the visit will provide an opportunity to discuss relations between the European Union and the UK. The Minister of State will have a meeting with her British counterpart, Leo Docherty, to discuss energy, migration and mobility issues, among other things.

She will also visit the premises of DeepMind, a company belonging to Google that specializes in artificial intelligence, and will meet its executives and researchers. She will also have talks with various private-sector stakeholders, universities and think-tanks on the issue of artificial intelligence and its development and regulation.

Lastly, she will deliver a speech at the reception held by the French Embassy in the United Kingdom to mark France’s National Day.

North Korea – Missile launch (July 12, 2023)

France utterly condemns the July 12^th launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, yet another violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

North Korea’s repeated provocations are contributing to growing tensions on the peninsula and represent a threat to international peace and security.

We urge North Korea to comply with its international obligations without delay and to embark on a process leading to the complete, verifiable and irreversible renunciation of its nuclear and ballistic programs.

France and its partners are fully mobilized in the aim of ensuring the implementation of pertinent UN Security Council resolutions and encourage dialogue among all the parties.

Syria – France deplores the Russian veto of the resolution on cross-border humanitarian assistance (July 12, 2023)

France deplores the Russian veto of this resolution brought by Brazil and Switzerland. This attitude cements Russia’s growing isolation in all international bodies. Cross-border humanitarian aid remains vital to millions of Syrians. The February 6^th earthquake accentuated the importance of this delivery route. There is no alternative route to providing assistance to more than 4 million people.

France supports the continuation of this cross-border mechanism, per the request of the UN Secretary-General and humanitarian organizations. It calls on all the members of the UN Security Council to act responsibly by renewing this mechanism that is vital to the Syrian people.

France is mobilizing its efforts, as it has done for the past 12 years, to support and assist the Syrian people. At the Seventh Brussels Conference, held on June 15, France reaffirmed its commitment to the Syrian people both in the country and in its neighborhood, announcing €540 million in aid for 2023.