On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, Jean-Marc Ayrault, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, will receive his Ukrainian counterpart, Pavlo Klimkin, on March 9.

The two ministers will jointly take stock of all aspects of our bilateral relations as well as the situation in eastern Ukraine and the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

Tourism – Visit by Mathias Fekl to Berlin for the International Travel Trade Show (March 8-9, 2017)

Matthias Fekl, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, the Promotion of Tourism and French Nationals Abroad, is visiting Berlin from March 8 to 9 for the International Travel Trade Show (ITB).

Matthias Fekl will visit the French pavilion and present our country's tourism strategy. He will highlight the efforts initiated to welcome tourists and ensure their safety.

He will launch, together with Atout France, a communication campaign aimed at promoting tourism in the various regions of France to international visitors, specifically those in Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The goal of this initiative is to encourage visitors to experience the diversity of French tourist destinations.

During this visit, Matthias Fekl will meet with Matthias Machnig, Germany's State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Afghanistan – Terrorist attack in Kabul (March 8, 2017)

France was horrified to learn of the ongoing attack against a military hospital in the center of Kabul. The attack has already left a large number of people dead and injured.

Attacking a hospital is a heinous crime that demonstrates the barbarity that the Afghan authorities are facing.

France pays tribute to the courage and professionalism of the Afghan security forces which managed to evacuate the vast majority of the patients and are still involved in efforts to defeat the terrorists.

It extends its condolences to the victims' families and to the International Committee of the Red Cross. We reaffirm our support for the Afghan authorities in the fight against terrorism.

Economic diplomacy – Thomson Reuters ranking of public innovators

The Thomson Reuters list of the "25 public institutions that contribute the most to the advancement of science and technology in the world," published on March 1, confirms the innovation capacity and dynamism of French research centers.

The Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) ranks second in this listing. The National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and the Institut Pasteur rank 8th, 9th and 15th in the listing respectively.

This ranking is based on data relating to intellectual property, the number of patents and the publications indexed in the Thomson Reuters database platforms over the last eight years.

Morocco / Cooperation – Launch of the 2017 French Cultural Season

The 2017 edition of the 2017 French Cultural Season in Morocco starts today. This season will feature 25 major events focusing on the theme of "Reinventing the City" and will showcase 335 days of cultural events, 200 days of live performances, 400 film screenings, 300 days of exhibitions and 60 conferences.

Visitors will therefore have the opportunity to attend revisited classics, ranging from Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound, reinterpreted by Olivier Py, to Molière's Le Malade Imaginaire, reinterpreted by Michel Didym. There will also be a focus on contemporary creativity with the last performance by José Montalvo, one of France’s key figures in contemporary dance, as well as plays such as "Les Cavaliers" ("The Horsemen") adapted from the work of Joseph Kessel, and "Jihad" by Ismael Saidi.

Exclusive screenings of around 40 recent films will take place throughout the year. Music will also feature strongly throughout the program: jazz, notably with the holding of a festival in Agadir and a tour by the Daniel Zimmermann Quartet; contemporary music, with the 3rd edition of Electronic Night (Nuit Electronique), a tour by French-Lebanese artist Bachar Mar-Khalifé and the return of Ramadan Nights (Nuits du Ramadan).

For more information please visit: https://if-maroc.org/blog/evenements/saison-culturelle-france-maroc-2017/.