ASFE Association, always by your side when abroad

The Government held the first Digital Sovereignty Meetings at Bercy on Monday 26 January, chaired by Anne Le Hénanff, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs. The event was an opportunity to set out the executive's digital sovereignty initiatives, put forward jointly by the Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. During the event, the Minister Delegate for Artificial (…)

We welcome the 15-day extension of the ceasefire between the Syrian Government Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces announced on 24 January. We call upon all parties to strictly adhere to the ceasefire and to exercise their utmost restraint. We urge all external parties to join us in pursuit of peace and de-escalation of violence.
We reiterate the obligation of all parties to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. We welcome the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure (…)

Making daily life easier for those living in border areas: on the initiative of the German and French Europe ministers and secretaries-general for Franco-German cooperation, the Cross-Border Cooperation Committee (CCT) puts forward concrete proposals.
The Franco-German Cross-Border Cooperation Committee (CCT) met in Colmar on 22 January, Franco-German Friendship Day and the anniversary of the signing of the Elysée and Aachen treaties, under the joint chair of the German and French Europe (…)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot spoke with Pandu Patria Sjahrir, chief investment officer of the Indonesian sovereign wealth fund Danantara, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21.
Looking ahead to this weekend's meeting between the French and Indonesian Presidents, they welcomed the increasingly dense economic relationship between France and Indonesia and discussed prospects for investments and partnerships between France and Indonesia. (…)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot spoke with Masrour Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 22.
They discussed several regional issues, including the situation in Syria. They called on all the parties to de-escalate immediately, to protect all civilians, and to implement a global ceasefire that allows for the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and (…)

Today, the six founding States of the Global Initiative to Galvanize Political Commitment to International Humanitarian Law announce that the High-Level Conference on Humanity in War will be held in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the fourth quarter of 2026.
His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the leaders of Brazil, China, France, Kazakhstan and South Africa, in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross, invite (…)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot spoke with his Qatari counterpart, His Excellency Sheik Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21.
The Minister welcomed the announcement that the Gaza Peace Plan was moving to phase 2. The two Ministers also discussed the announced formation of the Board of Peace (BoP), aimed at resolving conflicts beyond Gaza. In this regard, the Minister reiterated the (…)

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs spoke with his Saudi counterpart, His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21 2026. Both men emphasized the need to work toward stability in the Middle East, particularly in light of recent changes to the regional context in Syria, Iran, Palestine and Yemen.
With regard to Syria, the two Ministers stressed their commitment to the country's stability and security. They hailed (…)

Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot spoke with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Minister reaffirmed France's full support for the Lebanese authorities in their efforts to restore Lebanon's stability, sovereignty and institutional operations in a lasting way. He applauded the progress made this past year and, in particular, the commitment shown by the authorities and the Lebanese army to establishing a state (…)

The first session of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference tasked with drafting the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity opened on January 19. The Conference will meet in 2028 and 2029.
The start of work is an important step toward the adoption of this Convention.
France will be an active participant in this Preparatory Committee, which will meet for two weeks. We welcome the work carried out by the International Law Commission, which proposed the (…)