ASFE Association, always by your side when abroad

We, States of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom condemn the approval by the Israeli security cabinet of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
We recall that such unilateral actions, as part of a wider intensification of the settlement policies in the West Bank, not only violate international law but also risk fueling instability. They risk undermining the implementation of the (…)

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, had two telephone conversations on 23 December with Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cambodia, and Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.
The day after the special ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting on the conflict (22 December) and the day before the resumption of dialogue between the two countries' armed forces, the Minister called for an immediate ceasefire and talked (…)

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, had a telephone conversation with his Vietnamese counterpart, Lê Hoài Trung, on 23 December.
During this first conversation since Minister Trung's appointment, the two ministers highlighted the very positive momentum in bilateral relations since the launch of the comprehensive strategic partnership during General Secretary Tô Lâm's visit to Paris in 2024 and President Macron's state visit to Vietnam in May 2025.
The two ministers (…)

Following initial statements by the new American special envoy to Greenland, France emphasizes that national sovereignty and the inviolability of borders are fundamental principles of international law. France therefore reaffirms its respect for the Kingdom of Denmark's territorial integrity.
In line with President Macron's visit to Nuuk this past June, and the visit by Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot this past August, France reiterates its full support for the Danish (…)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot spoke by phone with his Togolese counterpart, Professor Robert Dussey. on December 23.
Mr. Barrot shared his concern over the situation in eastern DRC and the risk of destabilization in the Great Lakes region. He hailed President Faure Gnassingbé's efforts, in his capacity as African Union mediator, to swiftly deescalate the crisis. The Minister emphasized France's commitment to peace and, in line with its joint organization of the Paris (…)

France congratulates former President of Iraq Barham Salih on his election to the position of UN High Commissioner for Refugees by the UN General Assembly on December 18. France assures him of its full support in the fulfillment of his mandate at the helm of the organization over the next five years.
With the number of forcibly displaced people and stateless persons nearly doubling over the last ten years and reaching close to 135 million in 2025, the UNHCR's work and mandate are essential (…)

On December 18, 2025, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot visited Berlin, Germany.
This visit follows on from productive discussions between the Minister and his German counterpart, Dr. Johann Wadephul, that began when Dr. Wadephul took office.
The Ministers talked about accelerating the implementation of the shared agenda that was decided on at the Franco-German Council of Ministers meeting in Toulon in August of 2025, as well as France and Germany's specific (…)

France has learned of the new sanctions imposed by the United States on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and two ICC judges, which add to the sanctions previously imposed on nine other judges.
France condemns any threat or coercive measure taken against the ICC, its staff, or the civil society organizations that support it. France calls on the United States to withdraw all sanctions based on the executive order of February 6, 2025. These measures constitute an attack on the Court and (…)

On December 18, 2025, at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Plenary in Jerusalem, the organization's Member Countries unanimously approved France's bid for the IHRA presidency beginning in 2027. France will succeed Argentina in the position.
The IHRA, an intergovernmental organization comprised of 35 Member Countries and eight Observer Countries, brings together governments and experts in order to strengthen and promote education, remembrance and research on the (…)

The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the governing body of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and leading global authority on the environment, brought to a close its seventh session at the UN headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, on 12 December 2025.
The French delegation, made up of representatives from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, was led by Ambassador for the Environment Barbara Pompili.
The session (…)