Djibouti
Conversation between Ms. Catherine Colonna and her Djiboutian counterpart, Mr. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf (Jan. 10, 2024)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna spoke today by telephone with her Djiboutian counterpart, Mr. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, about the situation in the Red Sea and Sudan.

Ms. Colonna reiterated the importance of respecting the freedom of navigation, which is a fundamental principle of international law, and said that France would continue to take all appropriate measures to guarantee safety at sea, as it did through the deployment of the French Navy frigate Languedoc. In this regard, the French and Djiboutian ministers reaffirmed their desire to work together to keep the situation in the Red Sea from escalating.

The French Minister also expressed her support for the mediation efforts conducted by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), chaired by Djibouti, to bring about a ceasefire in Sudan and guarantee the flow of humanitarian aid and the resumption of the political transition process.

Q&A

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry is accusing France of interference in the country’s internal affairs. How do you respond to that?

We confirm that a French citizen has been detained by the Azerbaijani authorities since early December.

We are in constant touch with his family, and the French Embassy in Baku has been able to visit our compatriot twice, under the principle of consular protection. It intends to continue doing so, in accordance with international law.

As we have already told the Azerbaijani authorities, we consider this detention to be arbitrary and we demand the immediate release of our citizen.

We categorically reject the allegations made by Azerbaijan to justify its hostile actions toward us.

Several CMA-CGM tankers managed to cross the southern Red Sea. What is the role of French warships in the area, and are French ships accompanying CMA-CGM tankers to guarantee their security?

France condemns Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. These attacks undermine fundamental principles of international law, namely the freedom of navigation on the high seas.

France stresses that nations are entitled to take appropriate measures to guarantee maritime security and safety.

Together with its partners, France will continue to carry out its responsibilities in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Jordan
Conversation between Ms. Catherine Colonna and her Jordanian counterpart, Mr. Ayman Safadi (Jan. 9, 2024)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna spoke today by telephone with her Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi. Their conversation was part of a series of consultations between the Minister and France’s partners in the region at the request of President Macron, who met with Jordan’s King Abdullah on December 21.

The Minister reiterated France’s commitment to the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip to meet the immediate needs of the civilian population. In this regard, she hailed the excellent cooperation between France and Jordan on humanitarian assistance, as illustrated by their joint airdrop of seven tons of humanitarian aid on January 4, and she expressed the hope that this cooperation would continue.

The two ministers emphasized that the forced displacement of populations would be a serious violation of international law and reiterated their condemnation of any and all remarks fueling tensions in this regard.

The ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East and expressed their deep concern over the high tensions in the region. They reiterated the need to revive the political process and shared their thoughts about how to end the crisis.