Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development Spokesperson (Paris, October 27, 2014)

Tunisia – Parliamentary elections – Statement by Mr. Laurent Fabius (October 26, 2014)
Lebanon – Syria – Visit by Mr. Laurent Fabius to Berlin (October 28, 2014)
Turkey – Meeting between Mr. Harlem Désir and his Turkish counterpart (Paris, October 28, 2014)
Awarding of the Adenauer-de Gaulle Prize to the ARTE TV channel by Mr. Harlem Désir and his German counterpart (Paris, October 29, 2014)
Oman – Meeting between the secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development and his counterpart (Paris, October 24, 2014)
Brazil – Re-election of Ms. Dilma Rousseff (October 26, 2014)
Ukraine – Early parliamentary elections (October 26, 2014)
Iran – Execution of Iranian woman Reyhaneh Jabbari (October 25, 2014)
Fight against the Ebola epidemic – Guinea – Training of civil defense units
Attractiveness of France – Promotion of cultural industries – “Direct to Series” event in the United States (Los Angeles, October 27 to 28, 2014)



Tunisia – Parliamentary elections – Statement by Mr. Laurent Fabius (October 26, 2014)

I welcome the smooth conduct of the election of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People of Tunisia.

Nearly 4 years after the Tunisian revolution, Tunisians turned out to vote in these decisive elections which will lead to the establishment of lasting and democratic institutions in Tunisia’s Second Republic. France welcomes this.

By confirming their attachment to democracy, the Tunisians reached a historic milestone on Sunday. They offer proof that democracy is possible on all continents and in all cultures.


Lebanon – Syria – Visit by Mr. Laurent Fabius to Berlin (October 28, 2014)

Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development will visit Berlin on October 28.

He will participate in a meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon. This meeting will provide an opportunity to reaffirm our support for Lebanon in the current security context marked by violence, notably in Tripoli. It will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the need for the international community’s solidarity, while Lebanon is one of the countries most affected by the Syrian crisis and the influx of refugees. In this context, it is essential to overcome the political and institutional crisis by electing, as swiftly as possible, a president that is acceptable to all parties.

Mr. Laurent Fabius will also participate in the international conference on Syrian refugees organized by Germany. The discussions will enable us to reaffirm our solidarity with the refugees and the host countries, especially Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq. To that end, France has contributed €73 million [€49 million in humanitarian aid + €24 million in development assistance to address the consequences of the Syrian crisis in Lebanon] to support vulnerable Syrians in Syria and in neighboring countries. A political solution in Syria is the only way to put an end to the crisis and enable the refugees to return home.


Turkey – Meeting between Mr. Harlem Désir and his Turkish counterpart (Paris, October 28, 2014)

Mr. Harlem Désir, Minister of State for European Affairs, will tomorrow receive his Turkish counterpart, Mr. Volkan Bozkir.

Just ahead of the Turkish president’s visit to France on October 31, this meeting will provide an opportunity to review the process of negotiating EU accession and the dialogue on visas, initiated with the Commission following the entry into force on October 1 of the readmission agreement between the EU and Turkey. Mr. Désir and Mr. Bozkir will also discuss the strengthening of our bilateral relations, two weeks after the ministerial consultations in Paris on October 10. They will also discuss the main regional crises.


Awarding of the Adenauer-de Gaulle Prize to the ARTE TV channel by Mr. Harlem Désir and his German counterpart (Paris, October 29, 2014)

Mr. Harlem Désir, Minister of State for European Affairs, will receive Mr. Michael Roth, his German counterpart, on October 29. They will award the Adenauer-de Gaulle Prize to the French-German TV channel, ARTE.

Created in 1988 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, this award is aimed at rewarding outstanding commitment to French-German cooperation. This year, the award will be presented to ARTE in order to pay tribute to the work that the TV channel has been undertaking for more than 20 years in support of French-German friendship, dialogue between cultures and European integration.

The ceremony will take place in the Salon de l'Horloge at the Quai d’Orsay, where the Schuman Declaration was made on May 9, 1950, on the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community.

A press briefing by Mr. Harlem Désir and Mr. Roth is scheduled to take place at the Quai d’Orsay at 7:30 pm.

For more information, please call 01 43 17 55 76.


Oman – Meeting between the secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development and his counterpart (Paris, October 24, 2014)

Mr. Christian Masset, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, received his Omani counterpart, Mr. Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi on October 24. This meeting took place as part of the regular consultations between our two countries.

On this occasion, the secretaries-general reviewed the prospects for developing our bilateral relations, notably in the economic and cultural fields, while France and the Sultanate of Oman are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations. They also noted our strong convergence of views on major international issues, especially with respect to the situation in the Middle East.


Brazil – Re-election of Ms. Dilma Rousseff (October 26, 2014)

For the second time, the Brazilian people expressed their trust in Ms. Dilma Rousseff. The French authorities warmly congratulate President Rousseff on her re-election.

France would like to work in close collaboration with the Brazilian government in order to develop the strategic partnership between our two countries in all areas.

As President Hollande indicated during his state visit, our bilateral relations have three priorities: strengthening our political dialogue, particularly with respect to climate issues, expanding our trade and our cross investment as well stimulating our cooperation in the areas of research and academic exchanges.

We intend to continue working actively in this direction with our Brazilian friends.

What’s your response to the re-election of Ms. Dilma Rousseff as President of Brazil? In your view, what does the future hold for political and economic relations between France and Brazil?

Please refer to the statement that we issued this morning.


Ukraine – Early parliamentary elections (October 26, 2014)

The Ukrainian people have voted in a multi-party election. France welcomes the smooth conduct, under difficult conditions, of these early parliamentary elections. It reaffirms its attachment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

This election, following the presidential election on May 25, is another step forward in the political stabilization process under way in Ukraine. It clearly confirms the fundamental choices of the Ukrainian people.

France will lend its full support to the majority that will be formed in the Rada in order to relaunch the essential national dialogue and implement the reforms that the Ukrainian people and Ukraine’s partners expect. It notably welcomes the results of the candidates from the lists drawn up by President Poroschenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.


Iran – Execution of Iranian woman Reyhaneh Jabbari (October 25, 2014)

France strongly condemns the execution of Reyhaneh Jabbari in Iran on October 25.

This tragic news comes at a time when the international community and numerous NGOs had stepped up their calls for the Iranian courts to commute the sentence initially imposed. Mr. Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, cited the violation of the right to a fair trial in this case and expressed his deep concern at the increased use of the death penalty in Iran.

France reaffirms its constant opposition to the death penalty everywhere and under all circumstances, as well as its commitment to the independence of justice, guaranteeing the right to a fair trial for all.


Fight against the Ebola epidemic – Guinea – Training of civil defense units

The Directorate for Security and Defense Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development has just launched a training operation with Guinea’s civil defense forces.

Thirty French instructors arrived in Guinea on October 26 to train 200 members of Guinea’s civil defense units. Their mission, which will run for nine weeks in Kafiliya, will be two-fold: civil defense training (water rescue, wildfires, first aid training, clean-up) and training specifically focused on the fight against the Ebola epidemic (monitoring of those who have had contact with infected people, logistical support for treatment facilities).

This cooperation falls within the framework of the guidelines reaffirmed by President Hollande during the restricted meeting of the Defense Council on October 22 aimed at supporting Guinea in its fight against the Ebola epidemic. This support is reflected by an ambitious action plan which provides both for training and the establishment of two new treatment centers in addition to the one that will open in Guinea's Forest Region in November.


Attractiveness of France – Promotion of cultural industries – “Direct to Series” event in the United States (Los Angeles, October 27 to 28, 2014)

The Embassy of France to the United States and the Ile-de-France Film Commission, a public institution for cultural cooperation created in 2004 on the initiative of the Ile-de-France region, will host the second edition of the “Direct to Series” event in Los Angeles from October 27 to 28.

This event is aimed at promoting the re-invention of French television drama to American professionals (producers, scriptwriters, television and video channel buyers, etc.) through a selection of ambitious and creative programs. It also aims to establish links between professionals in both countries in order to initiate collaborations likely to lead to new projects and the shooting of films in France.

The event will take place on October 28 in the presence of Ms. Axelle Lemaire, Minister of State for the Digital Sector.

For more information please visit: direct2series.com/