Foreign Affairs

Emergency humanitarian assistance to Tonga - Joint Statement from FRANZ (31 Jan. 22)

France, Australia and New Zealand reiterate their solidarity with the Kingdom of Tonga, which has been hit hard following the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano on 15 January 2022. In response to the scale of the disaster, the three countries immediately activated the FRANZ mechanism, currently chaired by France, which enables them to coordinate their emergency action in the event of a natural disaster in the South Pacific. The government and people of Tonga have rallied in (...)

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Tackles Super-Polluting Methane Emissions

Interior Announces $1.15B from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Create Jobs Capping Wells Alongside Additional Federal Action When President Biden reestablished U.S. climate leadership on the world stage in Glasgow at the U.N. climate conference, he unveiled the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan. The ambitious action plan outlined how the United States will leverage all available tools to...

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

Honduras - Q&A - (31 Jan. 2022)

Q: Are you worried that the argument over the naming of the president of Honduras's Congress will destabilize the country? A: As the spokesman for the European External Action Service emphasized, it is vital for Honduran political leaders to resolve their dispute through a dialogue compatible with the country's constitutional requirements.

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

NATO - Q&A - (31 Jan. 2022)

Q: With regard to sending French troops to Estonia and Romania, what are the criteria for choosing these countries? And what is the official name of the mission? Are NATO's assurance measures the only framework for such troop movements? A: France is participating in NATO's assurance measures within the framework of its Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP). Since 2016, this collective force has been deployed in Poland and three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) in response to (...)

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

Nearly USD 90 million pledged in Paris for ALIPH and the protection of heritage in conflict areas (31.01.22)

Five years after the establishment of the International alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas (ALIPH), Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, Minister of Culture, and Thomas S. Kaplan, Chair of the Foundation, hosted the second ALIPH Donors' Conference on 31 January at the musée du Louvre in Paris. This meeting, opened by Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission, the Ministers of Culture of the United (...)

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

North Korea - Ballistic missile launches (28.01.22)

France was concerned to learn of the announcement of new short-range ballistic missile tests by North Korea on January 27. This sixth series of missile launches since the beginning of January comes just a few days after cruise missile tests and once again reflects North Korea's prioritization of its weapons of mass destruction programs and their delivery systems, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. France urgently calls on North Korea to discuss the proposals for dialogue (...)

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, January 31, 2022

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 1:10 P.M. EST MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Hello. Happy Monday. Okay, I just have two items for all of you at the top. During President Biden's first 11 months in office, American agricultural exports reached a record $160 billion, generating an estimated $342 billion in total economic...

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

Press Release: Nominations Sent to the Senate

NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE: Vanessa Roberts Avery, of Connecticut, to be United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut for the term of four years, vice John H. Durham, resigned. Deborah R. Coen, of Connecticut, to be a Member of the National Council on the Humanities for a term expiring January...

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

Remarks by President Biden at Meeting With the National Governors Association

East Room 11:23 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Well, thanks. Thank you very much. Look, I'm going to - (applause) - thank you. Governors, it's truly to have a - it's a pleasure to have you all here. And I'm glad you're having an opportunity - and my Cabinet and overall team is getting a chance...

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

Statement by President Joe Biden Marking One Year Since the Coup in Burma

One year ago, the Burmese military denied the will of the people of Burma, overthrew the democratically elected government, and seized power in a coup d'etat. Since then, the regime has perpetrated countless brutal actions and committed unspeakable violence against civilians, including children. More than 1,500 people have been killed. Thousands have been unjustly detained...

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

United Arab Emirates - Yemen - France strongly condemns Houthi missile attacks on Abu Dhabi (31 Jan. 22)

France strongly condemns the January 31st missile attacks on Abu Dhabi, for which the Houthis claimed responsibility. They follow Houthi attacks on the Emirates on January 17 and 24. These repeated attacks, which are absolutely unacceptable, threaten the UAR's security and regional stability. France reaffirms its solidarity and support for its Emirati partner, as well as its determination to work for regional security and stability. France calls for de-escalation in Yemen and in the (...)

Updated: Mon Jan 31 2022

Statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Syrian Democratic Forces Re-Taking Full Control of the Hasakah Prison

The United States commends the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who, along with Coalition forces, completed operations to re-take full control of the Hasakah prison in Syria. Thanks to the bravery and determination of the SDF, many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice, ISIS failed in its efforts to conduct a large-scale prison break to reconstitute...

Updated: Sun Jan 30 2022

Statement from President Biden on Mark Frerichs

Two years ago tomorrow, U.S. Navy veteran Mark Frerichs was taken hostage in Afghanistan. A civil engineer, he spent a decade helping the people of Afghanistan. He has done nothing wrong. And yet, for two years the Taliban has held him captive. Mark is a native of Illinois. A son. A brother. And his family...

Updated: Sun Jan 30 2022

Remarks by President Biden After Air Force One Arrival

Joint Base AndrewsPrince George's County, Maryland 5:27 P.M. EST Q Any update on the situation in Ukraine? THE PRESIDENT: I didn't hear you. Q Any update on the situation in Ukraine? THE PRESIDENT: No, not in the last couple hours. Q Have you decided how soon you would be moving U.S. troops to Eastern Europe?...

Updated: Sat Jan 29 2022

Remarks by President Biden on Building a Better America

3:21 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: (Applause.) Please sit down. Please, please sit down. JoJo, thank you very much. You know, I can picture him in Desert Storm as a sergeant, barking out orders, can't you? When my son Beau was promoted to major in Iraq and - I said, "Now you're a field-grade officer." He said,...

Updated: Sat Jan 29 2022

Statement by President Biden on the 13th Anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

Thirteen years ago, Lilly Ledbetter became a household name, as the bill named in her honor became the first bill signed into law during the Obama-Biden Administration. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was an important step forward in the fight to close the gender and racial wage gaps that unfairly hold women, especially women of color, back in the workplace, and...

Updated: Sat Jan 29 2022

Belarus - Deterioration in the human rights situation (27.01.22)

We wish to express our deep concern over the deterioration in the human rights situation in Belarus. Since the summer of 2020, Belarusian society has experienced the most brutal crackdown the country has known in 31 years of independence. There are now more than 1,000 political prisoners in Belarus, some of whom were minors at the time of their incarceration. These men and women who have been jailed for defending freedom are being held in unacceptable conditions, and many have been (...)

Updated: Fri Jan 28 2022

International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) becomes the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigati

On January 26, France and the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) held a signing ceremony for the Convention on the International Organization for Marine Aids to Navigation. France is the depository state for this convention, which elevates IALA's status to that of an international organization. Twenty-six countries, represented by their foreign minister or their ambassador to Paris, signed the convention at IALA's headquarters in Saint-Germain-en-Laye: Angola, Antigua (...)

Updated: Fri Jan 28 2022

Launch of the Night of Ideas 2022 on the theme "(Re)building together", in France and in the cultural network abroad (27.01.2

M. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is pleased to announce the launch of the Night of Ideas 2022, on the theme "(Re)building together". This international event - emblematic of our diplomacy of influence, initiated by the Institut français and promoted by the French cultural network abroad - will be held in more than 100 countries from 27 January until the end of May 2022. The events organized will be tailored to local circumstances and to the health situations in (...)

Updated: Fri Jan 28 2022