Czech Republic – Meeting between Catherine Colonna and her Czech counterpart (October 6, 2023)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna hosted Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavsky in Paris on October 6.

During their meeting, the ministers reaffirmed our two countries’ unity and determination to continue our support for Ukraine in every area and over the long term, as well as our support for Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also discussed the situation in the Sahel and challenges pertaining to the Indo-Pacific.

They addressed issues relating to EU enlargement and reform, European defense, and the strengthening of European competitiveness, especially with regard to energy.

They also spoke about bilateral economic cooperation between Paris and Prague, and French and European support for EDF’s proposal in connection with the Czech nuclear program, as well as preparations for a new road map for the French-Czech strategic partnership.

Awarding of Nobel Peace Prize (October 6, 2023)

France congratulates the Iranian journalist and activist Narges Mohammadi on receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. This prize honors her tireless commitment to promoting human rights, and particularly women’s rights, in Iran.

Ms. Mohammadi has repeatedly shown tremendous courage in her activities aimed at abolishing the death penalty and her work to combat violence against women. France and Germany paid tribute to her commitment by awarding her the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights in 2021.

France calls for the immediate release of Ms. Mohammadi, who is still jailed in Iran.

We call on the Iranian authorities to respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of Iranian citizens, and in particular, to take the necessary measures to prevent and end discrimination against women and girls as well as every form of sexual and sexist violence.

Situation in Syria (October 6, 2023)

France is troubled by the new wave of violence in Syria, which has left more than a hundred dead, including dozens of civilians, and resulted in damage to civilian infrastructure.

France calls on all the parties to exercise restraint and protect civilian populations.

France reiterates its support for the call issued by the UN Secretary-General and his special envoy for a cessation of hostilities throughout Syria and a political solution in accordance with resolution 2254, which was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council.

Climate – France’s contribution to the Green Climate Fund (October 6, 2023)

On the occasion of the High-level Pledging Conference for the Green Climate Fund’s second replenishment (GCF-2), which was held on October 5 in Bonn, France confirmed that it would contribute €1.61 billion to the Green Climate Fund over the next four years (2024-2027). France’s contribution – the largest since the Green Climate Fund was established – makes it the third-largest contributor to the Fund. Twenty-five countries announced a total of $9.33 billion in contributions. Other announcements are expected by the COP28, which will be held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12.

France is especially committed to provide climate financing to developing countries. In late 2020, President Macron pledged to allocate €6 billion each year from 2021 to 2025 for that purpose. That commitment was largely surpassed in 2022, with €7.6 billion allocated to climate financing, €2.6 billion of which went for climate change adaptation, as Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna reminded the UN General Assembly on September 24.

France, along with the EU, is therefore shouldering more than its fair share of the collective effort to bring climate financing to $100 billion per year.