ASFE Association, always by your side when abroad

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot paid a working visit to the Central African city of Bangui on March 12 and 13.
During his visit to the Central African Republic, he met with Sylvie Notefe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francophonie and Central African Nationals Abroad. The two Ministers discussed the bilateral relationship between the CAR and France, as well as major regional and international issues of common interest.
The two officials also reaffirmed their (…)

France strongly condemns the shots fired several times at soldiers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) yesterday. These attacks from non-state armed groups are unacceptable.
France calls on all the parties to show restraint, return to the ceasefire of 26 November 2024 and comply with Security Council Resolution 1701. Hezbollah must end its operations and hand in its weapons. Israel must abandon its ground offensive, end its massive strikes and respect Lebanon's (…)

The United Kingdom hosted the 9th Tallinn Mechanism Meeting at the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office in London on the 9th and 10th March 2026.
The Tallinn Mechanism has once again laid down a commitment to deliver civilian cyber security needs and projects to Ukraine, to support national resilience in the face of persistent state cyber attacks from Russia. €302.6 million has been committed since December 2023 with most members to commit additional funds throughout 2026.
As the (…)

Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, spoke on the telephone to his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Attaf, on 15 March 2026.
The ministers discussed the main diplomatic issues of common interest in Africa and the Middle East – first and foremost the regional escalation around Iran and the recent high-level discussions on Western Sahara.
The ministers talked about the key issues surrounding the relaunch of bilateral cooperation, especially in the areas of security and (…)

The situation of hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Lebanon is an issue of grave concern. Given the emergency, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) is playing an active role. In partnership with the company CMA CGM, the MEAE's Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) shipped nearly 60 tonnes of humanitarian aid on Thursday 12 March.
M. Nicolas Forissier, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, M. Philippe Tabarot, Minister for Transport, and Mme Tanya Saadé, President of the CMA (…)

Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, spoke on 11 March 2026 to Mr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India's Minister of External Affairs.
The two ministers flagged their concern about recent developments in the Middle East and, in particular, talked about the ways and means of restoring the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
They agreed to continue their exchanges, with a view to working jointly to de-escalate tensions, particularly on the occasion of the Foreign (…)

France condemns this morning's attack in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attack tragically killed several civilians, including a French national. She was working for UNICEF, helping protect children exposed to the current crisis in eastern DRC. France extends its condolences to her family, close friends and colleagues at this painful time and calls for the memory of our compatriot to be respected. It urges the parties to refrain from exploiting her death for their own ends. (…)

France and the United States convened a French -U.S. Deterrence, Strategic Stability, and Non-proliferation Dialogue in Paris on March 9, 2026.
Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas G. DiNanno co-chaired for the United States, and Director for Strategic Affairs, Security, and Disarmament at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Claire Raulin co-chaired for France. The delegations included participants from both sides' foreign affairs, (…)

M. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, had a meeting yesterday with Ms Yulia Svyrydenko, the Ukrainian Prime Minister, on the sidelines of the world Nuclear Energy Summit organized by France.
The two ministers discussed the situation in Ukraine, as Russian strikes continue daily and with the same intensity against energy infrastructure. The Minister assured the Ukrainian Prime Minister that France is working actively, bilaterally, with its European partners and as (…)

M. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, had a meeting today with the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ararat Mirzoyan, on the sidelines of the Nuclear Energy Summit held by France.
The Minister and his counterpart discussed the regional situation, in the context of current events in Iran and the Middle East. He reiterated France's full support for the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and for the development of regional connectivity, with (…)