On September 12 in Berlin, Laurent Fabius will participate, alongside his German, Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, in the Normandy format meeting devoted to the situation in eastern Ukraine and the implementation of the package of measures adopted in Minsk on February 12, 2015:

• in the area of security, the ministers will work on ensuring long-term compliance with the ceasefire, on ensuring access by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to the areas of conflict and on ways to reach a swift agreement on the withdrawal of weapons with a caliber less than 100 mm;


• on the political front, they will discuss the holding of local elections, including in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, and local self-government;


• on the humanitarian front, they will discuss the opening of new humanitarian logistics centers, the exchange of prisoners and unrestricted access by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The ministers will prepare concrete proposals on these different topics for the summit of heads of state and government scheduled to take place at the beginning of October in Paris in the Normandy format.

Japan – Flooding in Ibaraki and Tochigi Prefectures

We were saddened to learn of the flooding in Ibaraki and Tochigi Prefectures that left at least three dead and many unaccounted for, and caused the displacement of tens of thousands of residents.

In these painful circumstances, France offers its solidarity to the Japanese people and authorities.

Are you considering providing concrete assistance?

If the Japanese authorities express the need, France certainly stands ready to help them deal with the flooding.

Venezuela – Conviction of Leopoldo Lopez, founder of the Voluntad Popular party (September 10, 2015)

France is closely following the situation in Venezuela, given the tensions the country has experienced since the events of February/March 2014.

We express our concern following the September 10th conviction of Leopoldo Lopez, an opposition figure and founder of the Voluntad Popular party, to one year in prison. We call for dialogue and an easing of tensions ahead of the legislative elections slated for the end of the year.