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Today, on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, France reaffirms the importance of combating these violations of fundamental rights and promoting gender equality throughout the world.
According to UNICEF, more than 230 million women and girls worldwide have undergone genital mutilation, i.e. a 15% increase compared to figures for 2016. The United Nations Population Fund states that a further 23 million girls risk being subjected to this violence over the (…)

The New START Treaty, the latest strategic arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, expired on 5 February 2026.
Russia bears responsibility for this situation, having suspended its participation in the New START Treaty in 2023 and stepped up actions undermining the international nuclear arms control architecture.
France reaffirms its support for strategic arms control between the nuclear-weapon States with the largest nuclear arsenals, which is an essential instrument for (…)

Jean-Noël Poirier takes office today, Friday 6 February 2026, as French Consul General in Nuuk, Greenland. In accordance with the announcements made by President Macron in Greenland in June 2025, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is increasing its consular network and becomes the first European Union country to set up a consulate general in Greenland.
At the request of Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the new consul general will be actively engaged in (…)

We, the members of the Freedom Online Coalition, express serious concern regarding the human rights violations committed by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran since 28 December 2025.
We are deeply alarmed at the reports of mass injury and deaths of peaceful protestors who are exercising their legitimate rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
On January 8, 2026, authorities imposed a near-total shutdown of Internet and communications services, (…)

France welcomes the partial reopening of the Rafah border crossing in both directions, allowing for the first medical evacuations. We also welcome the redeployment of both the EU Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah) and Palestinian Authority personnel, who must be able to fully perform their duties at the crossing in accordance with the terms that were previously agreed upon.
The reopening of the crossing is an important first step in the implementation of (…)

France strongly condemns the increasing number of Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine. Following a strike on a passenger train in Kharkiv that killed five people on 27 January, Russia struck a bus carrying employees of a mine in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Sunday 1 February, killing 16 people, and a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. No military aim can justify such atrocities, which constitute further deliberate breaches by Russia of its obligation to respect international (…)

On Thursday, January 29, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot participated in the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The meeting gave the Minister the chance to talk about the importance of European unity at a time when the EU's territorial integrity is under pressure. The Minister stressed that Europe's position is clear and remains firm while refusing any sort of escalation.
Regarding Iran, on the initiative of France and its partners, the Foreign Affairs Council (…)

France applauds the adoption, on January 29, of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement between the EU and Vietnam. Coming on the 35th anniversary of relations between the EU and Vietnam, this agreement offers new prospects for deepening and expanding cooperation in strategic areas and on trade, as well as global challenges.
As the first European country to have adopted a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam, France supports stronger ties with Vietnam at the European (…)

France welcomes the signing of an agreement by the Syrian transitional government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
France actively facilitated the talks between all the parties. The signing of this agreement should definitively end the clashes seen in recent weeks and restart a peaceful transition to a united, pluralistic Syria. France is doing everything it can to help bring this about.
It calls on the parties to fully implement this agreement, following the agreed-upon phases, (…)

France utterly condemns the Russian drone attack on a passenger train in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, which killed five civilians and injured two others.
As discussions between Russia and Ukraine are held in Abu Dhabi, this strike demonstrates that Russia is stubbornly continuing to bomb Ukraine, targeting strikes at civilians. Nearly four years since the start of its large-scale aggression against Ukraine, it is still up to Moscow to prove through deeds its willingness to enter into peace (…)