The Daily Press Briefing

Statements made by
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and International Development
Spokesperson


Paris - October 21, 2016
In this issue:

◢  Tourism – Meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Jean-Marc Ayrault and tourism professionals specialized in welcoming Asian tourists to France (October 21, 2016)

◢  Turkey / Greece / Cyprus – Visit by Jean-Marc Ayrault (October 24-25, 2016)

◢  Germany – Visit by Harlem Désir (Berlin - October 21, 2016)

◢  UN / Syria – Human Rights Council (Geneva - October 21, 2016)

◢  Cambodia – Commemorations of the 25th anniversary of the Paris Agreement (October 23, 2016)

◢  Brazil – Innovation and Technology Forum (São Paulo - October 21, 2016)

 
Tourism – Meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Jean-Marc Ayrault and tourism professionals specialized in welcoming Asian tourists to France (October 21, 2016)

This morning Jean-Marc Ayrault met with tour operators and agencies specialized in welcoming Asian—and especially Chinese—tourists to France.

The meeting highlighted the importance of tourism for our country and the measures taken by the government to welcome Asian—and especially Chinese—travelers under the best conditions.

France remains the world's leading travel destination, with 85 million foreign tourists in 2015. For the first time, that number included more than two million Chinese tourists. The government is working hard to meet the goal of welcoming more than five million tourists from the Far East by 2020.



Turkey / Greece / Cyprus – Visit by Jean-Marc Ayrault (October 24-25, 2016)

Jean-Marc Ayrault will travel to Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus on October 24 and 25.

In Turkey, he and his counterpart will chair the second meeting of the French-Turkish Strategic Framework for Cooperation between Turkey and France, a body dealing with bilateral relations that was launched during the French President's state visit in January 2014. He will also discuss major international and European issues, including Syria, Iraq, the fight against Daesh, and migration.

Mr. Ayrault will also meet with representatives of political parties and civil society.

During his visit to Greece, Mr. Ayrault will be welcomed by the President and Prime Minister and will meet with his counterpart. Migration is one of the issues they will discuss. He will also meet with representatives of French companies in Greece to talk about strengthening the countries' economic relationship (France is the fourth-largest investor in Greece).

In Cyprus, Mr. Ayrault will meet with President Nicos Anastasiades, his counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides, and the UN Secretary-General's special advisor Espen Barth Eide, as well as Mustafa Akinci, the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community. He will sign several agreements with Mr. Kasoulides and will discuss the inter-Cypriot negotiations, which France supports



Germany – Visit by Harlem Désir (Berlin - October 21, 2016)

Minister of State for European Affairs Harlem Désir is visiting the Genshagen Foundation in Berlin today. There, he and his German counterpart, Michael Roth, will open the second session of Think Tanks Tandem, a platform for cooperation between French and German think tanks working on European challenges.

Discussions will focus on the future of the Common Security and Defense Policy and on stability and security in the EU neighborhood.

During his visit, Mr. Désir and his German counterpart will bestow the Europa Prize on the French-German television network ARTE.



UN / Syria – Human Rights Council (Geneva - October 21, 2016)

France welcomes today's special session at the Human Rights Council on the situation in Aleppo. France is a major contributor to this initiative, in keeping with its efforts at the Security Council to bring about a cessation of hostilities in Aleppo and access to humanitarian aid.

France condemns the repeated, deliberate attacks on civilians, the strikes on hospitals and medical personnel, and the forced displacements. These may be war crimes or crimes against humanity. It is our collective responsibility to combat impunity, regardless of who its perpetrators are.

The international commission of inquiry on Syria will be tasked with conducting a special study on the events in Aleppo and identifying the presumed perpetrators of human rights violations.



Cambodia – Commemorations of the 25th anniversary of the Paris Agreement (October 23, 2016)

On October 23, we mark the 25th anniversary of the Paris peace accords on Cambodia.

France is glad that those agreements helped to restore peace in Cambodia and to restore that country to the community of nations. It encourages the Cambodian authorities to continue strengthening the rule of law and a pluralistic democracy that respects human rights and fundamental liberties—the best guarantee of long-term stability.

Our country will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Cambodia to support it on this path.



Brazil – Innovation and Technology Forum (São Paulo - October 21, 2016)

The 7th Innovation and Technology Forum of the French-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce is being held today in São Paulo, with the support of the French Embassy in Brazil and in partnership with the Business France agency.

This forum, which will be attended by Brazilian Science and Technology Minister Gilberto Kassab, will highlight French-Brazilian cooperation and France's appeal in this area.

On this occasion, the city of São Paulo will be presented with the "French Tech Hub" label, marking the dynamism of the French ecosystem with respect to innovation in South America's largest metropolis.


France in the
United States
Embassy of France in Washington, D.C.
f t Flickr Instagram