France

France has been working actively for nearly two years to ensure the protection of its nationals and their dependants, staff of the Institut français de Gaza and their families, holders of French Government scholarships, and Palestinian figures with links to our country.
On Wednesday 9 July, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs organized the departure of 37 people from the Gaza Strip; they returned to France today. The operation follows several conducted since January 2025, which have (…)

France welcomes the ceremony to disarm around 30 fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) – an entity included on the EU's list of terrorist organizations – that took place on 11 July 2025 in the autonomous region of Kurdistan, northern Iraq.
The ceremony follows Abdullah Öcalan's call on 27 February 2025 to begin disbanding the PKK and end its armed struggle, and its announcement to that effect on 12 May 2025.
France would like the PKK's disbanding to continue, be effective and (…)

France welcomes today's inscription of the megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
As a Site of Exceptional Value, the megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan are a unique ensemble of vestiges of megalithic civilizations, integrated into a protected natural landscape, testifying to an age-old dialogue between man and his environment.
This heritage success is the result of long-standing cooperation between local elected representatives and (…)

France is strongly opposed to the revival of the E1 settlement plan announced by the central planning bureau of Israel's Civil Administration. This plan, which had been frozen since 2021, provides for the construction of more than 3,000 housing units east of Jerusalem.
This plan must not be implemented. It is contrary to international law and threatens the prospect of a two-State solution.
France reiterates its condemnation of settlement activity and all the tensions and violence it (…)

We, the Foreign Ministers of European democracies, are disturbed and deeply concerned at the deteriorating situation in Georgia.
We strongly condemn the recent, politically motivated, imprisonment and detention of the leaders of Georgian opposition, clearly designed to stifle political opposition in Georgia, a few months ahead of the local elections. Their detention, as well as arbitrary arrests and increasing repression of other Georgian authorities' critics, representatives of civil (…)

M. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, had a meeting on 11 July with his Italian counterpart, Mr Antonio Tajani, on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference held in Rome. The meeting built on President Macron's meeting with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, in Rome on 3 June.
The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs and his counterpart praised the excellent momentum in the Franco-Italian relationship, governed by the Quirinal Treaty signed on 26 (…)

Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, had a meeting on 11 July with Mgr Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations of the Holy See, in Vatican City.
Two months after Pope Leo XIV's election, the Minister expressed a fraternal message and the wish for this new pontificate to bring peace, solidarity and hope. The Minister and Mgr Gallagher had in-depth discussions about conflict situations, particularly in Ukraine and the (…)

France takes note of the decision handed down by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on July 9 holding Russia responsible for flagrant, widespread human rights violations in the parts of Ukraine that it has occupied since 2014 and during its large-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022.
In its ruling, the Court cites the existence of an organized system of human rights violations that includes indiscriminate military attacks, summary executions, acts of torture, and (…)

Thirty years ago, on July 11, 1995, the Srebrenica genocide began. It was the darkest hour of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. More than 8,000 adults and children were massacred in one of the worst crimes committed on European soil since World War II.
On this day of commemorations marking the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide – commemorations attended by Minister Delegate for Europe Benjamin Haddad – France remembers the suffering endured by the Bosnians. We express our heartfelt (…)

In 2025, the French government and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) mark 20 years of joint action for nature and sustainable development.
The celebration of that anniversary on July 8 highlighted the achievements of a historic partnership that since 2005 has played a key role in protecting biodiversity at the global level. The occasion was marked by the signing of a new partnership agreement for 2026-2029, reflecting the two parties' ongoing commitment to (…)