Papua New Guinea – Meeting between Franck Riester and Sam Basil, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry (3 May 2021 Share
Franck Riester, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, met with Sam Basil, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry of Papua New Guinea, on May 3, during his visit to Paris.
Franck Riester and Sam Basil reaffirmed their shared determination to strengthen bilateral economic ties between France and Papua New Guinea and their desire to increase their cooperation in new areas such as renewable energy, notably in the context of the broadening of the mandate of the French Development Agency (AFD) in the Pacific. They therefore welcomed the signing of the agreement between the government of Papua New Guinea and Total, allowing the resumption of the Papua LNG project after two years of negotiations.
Uzbekistan – Meeting between Jean-Yves Le Drian and his counterpart, Abdulaziz Kamilov (3 May 2021) Share
Jean-Yves Le Drian met on May 3 with Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulaziz Kamilov.
He underscored the political importance we attribute to deepening our relationship with Uzbekistan. The meeting of the Joint Economic Commission between France and Uzbekistan, to be held in Tashkent on May 10 during the visit to that country by Franck Riester, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, will help us to expand and move forward on our major bilateral projects in several areas in which we work together.
The ministers discussed the global pandemic situation and ways to fight the spread of Covid-19.
Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State for Tourism, French Nationals Abroad and Francophonie, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, took part, on May 4, in the G20 tourism ministers’ meeting, at the initiative of the Italian presidency.
The minister of state and the tourism ministers reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the tourism sector over the long term in order to minimize the impact of the crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic on employment and tourist destinations, in collaboration with the private sector, local authorities and the relevant international organizations, including the OECD and the World Tourism Organization.
They reaffirmed the need to take measures now to rebuild a resilient, sustainable and inclusive tourism sector. The meeting therefore made it possible to adopt the G20 Guidelines on the Future of Tourism drafted by the OECD, which proposes a course of action to promote safe mobility and sets out better mechanisms for crisis man
World Press Freedom Day (3 May 2021) Share
On this World Press Freedom Day, France reaffirms its unwavering, resolute commitment to the freedom of the press, freedom of expression and the protection of journalists throughout the world.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration signed on May 3, 1991, by African journalists in support of a free, independent and pluralistic press, a declaration that subsequently became universal in scope. That date was deliberately chosen by the UN to celebrate World Press Freedom Day.
This Declaration remains more relevant than ever as the freedom of the press and the safety of journalists are increasingly under attack worldwide and new challenges are threatening the freedom to inform and to be informed, both online and offline.
G7 - Jean-Yves Le Drian’s participation in the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Meeting (London, May 4 and 5) Share
Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will take part in the G7 Foreign and Development Minister’s Meeting in London due to take place from May 3 to 5, under UK presidency.
The foreign ministers will exchange views on the crises and major issues in the area of international politics. The foreign ministers of South Africa, Australia, South Korea, India, the Republic of Korea and Brunei (the current chair of ASEAN) were invited to take part in several segments of the meeting, notably including a session devoted to the Indo-Pacific region.