Moldova – Meeting between Catherine Colonna and her Moldovan counterpart (June 13, 2023)

Today Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna hosted Nicu Popescu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova.

She congratulated Mr. Popescu on the particularly successful organization of the second European Political Community summit for heads of state and government, which was held in Chişinău on June 1, and underscored the concrete advances obtained by Moldova during the summit, with active support from France. She hailed the agreement with the EU on lowering roaming charges beginning on January 1, 2024, and the launch of a European civilian mission to enhance the resilience of the security sector in Moldova, which is helping to firmly anchor Moldova within the European family.

The two ministers discussed Moldova’s path to EU membership and the reforms undertaken by the Moldovan authorities to meet the nine recommendations issued by the European Commission in its opinion of June 17, 2022. Ms. Colonna reaffirmed France’s commitment to supporting Moldova in this process and our willingness to share our expertise to help with Moldovan capacity building.

She also reaffirmed France’s commitment to assisting Moldova as it deals with destabilization attempts in the context of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

The two ministers also discussed the positive prospects for the French-Moldovan bilateral relationship and reaffirmed their shared desire to strengthen every aspect of that relationship.

UN – Election of Olivier de Frouville to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (June 12, 2023)

France congratulates Olivier de Frouville on his reelection to the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances for the 2023-2027 term. The States parties to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance expressed their renewed trust in him at their meeting in New York.

France reiterates its commitment to the fight against forced disappearances. We must put an end to these crimes, which may constitute crimes against humanity, and to the suffering they cause for the victims’ loved ones, who remain unaware of their fate. As we mark the 75^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this year, France encourages all nations to become parties to this Convention with a view to its universal ratification. France commends the contributions of civil society organizations and human rights activists who play a vital role in sounding the alarm and documenting occurrences.

Ukraine – Condemnation of Russian airstrikes against Ukraine (June 13, 2023)

France utterly condemns the new wave of Russian missile strikes that targeted the Kyiv, Dnipopetrosvk and Kharkiv areas last night.

These strikes once again deliberately targeted civilian infrastructures and residential buildings in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. They resulted in several casualties, particularly in the city of Kryvyi Rih, where six people were killed, according to initial reports by the Ukrainian authorities.

As Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, has repeatedly stressed, these unacceptable acts constitute war crimes and cannot go unpunished. France will continue to lend support to the Ukrainian courts and the International Criminal Court to combat impunity for such crimes.