France welcomes the meeting between President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti and President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea in Jeddah on September 17. This meeting could provide an opportunity to build the momentum of peace in the region.

France encourages the authorities of Djibouti and Asmara to continue their dialogue, in order to achieve a permanent solution to the border issue and the question of Djiboutian prisoners of war. It stands ready to provide support for this rapprochement.

France applauds the role played by Saudi Arabia in organizing this meeting and more generally, in the reconciliation process under way in the Horn of Africa.

Syria

Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan agreed to establish a demilitarized zone in the Idlib area to separate government forces and rebels. How do you assess the results of the two leaders' meeting in Sochi?

France takes note of this announcement, whose terms must still be specified by the Russian and Turkish parties.

In the immediate term, we are focusing our attention on an effective cessation of hostilities and the free and unfettered access of humanitarian aid in Idlib which houses three million civilians, half of whom are already internally displaced persons and two-thirds of whom depend on international aid.