Foreign Affairs

President Biden Announces Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu as Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator

Ahead of signing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act tomorrow, President Biden is naming Mitch Landrieu as senior advisor responsible for coordinating for implementation of this historic bipartisan infrastructure law. In this role, Landrieu will oversee the most significant and comprehensive investments in American infrastructure in generations-work that independent experts verify will create millions of...

Updated: Sun Nov 14 2021

A Proclamation on America Recycles Day, 2021

In recent months, I have traveled across the country to see firsthand the devastating toll of climate change. I have walked down streets in Louisiana, New Jersey, and New York where deadly storms and floods have destroyed the lives of working families, wiping homes and businesses off the map. I have sat with firefighters in...

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

A Proclamation on American Education Week, 2021

I have always believed that our children are the kite strings that hold our national ambitions aloft - when we invest in their education, we are investing in the future of our Nation. During American Education Week, which marks its 100th anniversary this year, we celebrate the unparalleled power of education to lift our country...

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

A Proclamation on National Apprenticeship Week, 2021

For decades, Registered Apprenticeships have been a reliable pathway to the middle class. Apprenticeships train workers for good jobs and allow them to earn while they learn. These educational experiences are especially important for workers who did not attend college, as they provide these workers with the type of specialized training needed for the jobs...

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Belarus - Q&A - (Nov 10, 2021)

Q: Is France in favor of sending personnel from the Frontex European Border and Coast Guard Agency to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia? What is the procedure for making that request? If France were to send police officers to the border, would they be identified as Frontex personnel? A: As we said yesterday, France expresses its solidarity with Poland, as well as Lithuania and Latvia, in the face of the Belarusian regime's unacceptable exploitation of migratory flows. We provided material (...)

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Bills Signed: H.R. 3475 and H.R. 4172

On Friday, November 12, 2021, the President signed into law: H.R. 3475, which designates the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Columbus, Georgia, as the Robert S. Poydasheff VA Clinic, Thank you to Representatives Bishop, Ferguson, Johnson, A. Scott, D. Scott, Carter, Williams, Allen, McBath, Loudermilk, Bourdeaux, Clyde, Hice, and Green and Senators...

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Caucasus - Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs' meetings with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts and joint meeting

A year after fighting ceased in Nagorno-Karabakh, M. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, held a meeting today with Messrs Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan respectively, for separate bilateral meetings during their visit to France for the UNESCO General Assembly. Following these bilateral meetings, the Minister opened a joint meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani ministers under the aegis of the Minsk Group's (...)

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Iran - Q&A (10 Nov 2021)

Q: Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said that Israel is accelerating its operational preparations for a possible strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. Do such statements complicate your efforts to reach an agreement in Vienna? A: Iran says it is prepared to return to the Vienna negotiations, which it had suspended on June 20, on November 29. Deputy Minister Ali Bagheri Kani reaffirmed this intention during his consultations with the Political Director on November 9. (...)

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Memorandum to the Secretary of State, Secretary of Treasury, and Secretary of Energy on the Presidential Determination Pursua

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, after carefully considering the reports submitted to the Congress by the Energy Information Administration, including the report submitted in August 2021, and other relevant factors, including global economic conditions, the level of spare capacity, and the availability...

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

President Biden Announces Additional Nominees

WASHINGTON - Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve in key roles: Amanda Bennett, Nominee for Chief Executive Officer at the United States Agency for Global Media Jose Emilio Esteban, Nominee for Under Secretary for Food Safety at the Department of Agriculture Geeta Rao Gupta, Nominee for Ambassador...

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, November 12, 2021

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room 1:32 P.M. EST MS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Q Welcome back. Q Welcome back! MS. PSAKI: Thank you. Okay. I have a couple of items for all of you at the top. First, let me say it's great to be back with all of you, although as a longtime hater...

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Reforms at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Nov. 10, 2021)

Q: This morning, Mr. Le Drian and Mr. Lemoyne are giving a presentation at the Council of Ministers on "priority reforms" at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Can you explain what these are? A: As part of its digital revamping of public services, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is adopting changes to simplify the lives of users. Mr. Le Drian and the Minister of State for Tourism, French Nationals Abroad and Francophonie presented the following projects to the Council (...)

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Remarks by President Biden Before Marine One Departure

South Lawn 5:33 P.M. EST Q What do you think about the situation on the border between Poland and Belarus? THE PRESIDENT: I think it's of great concern. We've communicated our concern to Russia, and we've communicated our concern to Belarus. And we think it's a problem. 5:33 P.M. EST

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Remarks by President Biden in Cabinet Meeting

Cabinet Room 2:36 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Well, I want to thank you all for being here. I want to thank Vice President Harris, who is on the line. I asked her to go to Paris to meet with Macron - with President Macron - and to work on some things relating to Libya and...

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Russia - Meeting of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Minister for the Armed Forces and their Russian count

Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and Florence Parly, Minister for the Armed Forces, received their Russian counterparts, Ministers Sergey Lavrov and Sergey Shoygu, within the framework of the Franco-Russian Cooperation Council for Security Issues. This meeting is part of firm and rigorous dialogue that France is engaging in with Russia in order to increase the predictability and stability of our relations. At this meeting, political and military dimensions of (...)

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Syria - Q&A - (Nov. 10, 2021)

Q: The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, a very close ally of France, was in Damascus yesterday to meet with President Assad. Is that a move you support? A: It is not our role to talk about our partners' sovereign choices. As far as we are concerned, there is currently no incentive to normalize relations with the Syrian regime while the political process in Syria as at a standstill and large-scale human rights violations are continuing on the ground. France remains determined to (...)

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

United States - Support for the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace - Statement by Jean-Yves Le Drian (11 Nov 202

I welcome the decision taken by the United States to support the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace. Three years after its launch by the French President at the first Paris Peace Forum in November 2018, the United States is joining more than 1,200 players, including 80 States, public and local authorities, private stakeholders and civil society organizations which have endorsed this initiative to support our vision of a safe, neutral and free cyberspace.

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Yemen - Attack on two journalists in Aden on Nov. 9, 2021

France condemns the targeted attack against journalists Rasha al-Harazi and Mahmoud al-Otmi in Aden on November 9. It must be thoroughly investigated. At a time when the freedom of the press and the safety of journalists are under increasing attack, France reiterates the need to protect them worldwide. France reaffirms its commitment to press freedom and to the safety of journalists and all those whose voice adds to the public debate. The Minister will promote this goal at the meeting of (...)

Updated: Fri Nov 12 2021

Bill Signed: H.R. 3919

On Thursday, November 11, 2021, the President signed into law: H.R. 3919, the "Secure Equipment Act of 2021," which requires the Federal Communications Commission to adopt rules clarifying that it will no longer review or approve any authorization application for equipment that poses an unacceptable risk to national security. Thank you to Representatives Scalise and...

Updated: Thu Nov 11 2021

FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Announces Actions to Address the Health Effects of Military Exposures

Exposure to contaminants and environmental hazards poses a major health concern for veterans of all generations. There are also gaps and delays in the scientific evidence demonstrating conclusive links between known exposures and health impacts, leaving many veterans without access to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits and high-quality treatment to address significant health conditions....

Updated: Thu Nov 11 2021

Remarks by President Biden at the National Veterans Day Observance

Arlington National CemeteryArlington, Virginia 11:57 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Folks, being President of the United States, you are afforded many opportunities to try to express your love, commitment, and admiration for the American people. And I must say to you that the single greatest honor...

Updated: Thu Nov 11 2021