Participation of Jean-Yves Le Drian in the Munich Security Conference - Declaration by the Spokesperson of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (15 and 16 February2020)

Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is taking part on Saturday, 15 and Sunday, 16 February 2020 in the Munich Security Conference.

On Saturday, the Minister gathered his counterparts from Belgium, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, as well as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy and representatives of the United Kingdom and Italy. The Minister and other participants discussed the future of the Coalition against Daesh, the capabilities of which need to be preserved and adapted to continue fighting Daesh in Iraq and Syria. The Minister also discussed the political situation in Iraq and France’s determination to work to strengthen the sovereignty of the Iraqi State. Lastly, the Minister recalled the shared objective of safely detaining Daesh fighters and the need to ensure there is no impunity for the crimes they have committed.

During a separate meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, with the Minister’s Egyptian, German and Jordanian counterparts, he recalled France’s availability to support peace efforts in line with international law and Security Council resolutions, and negotiations between the parties on the basis of a two-State solution, where both live in peace and security within safe and recognized borders, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.

The Minister met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Wang Yi, with whom he reaffirmed France’s support in the context of the Coronavirus health crisis, as well as discussing bilateral cooperation issues.

The Minister met his Canadian counterpart, Mr François-Philippe Champagne, to discuss the prospects of the France-Canada bilateral relationship and upcoming G7 meetings.

The Minister met the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, highlighting the importance of fully implementing the conclusions of the Berlin Conference, particularly as regards ending foreign interference in the Libyan crisis and violations of the arms embargo. He also mentioned the tragic humanitarian situation in Idlib Governorate, linked to the offensive by the Syrian regime and its allies.

The Minister met with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mr Javad Zarif. He highlighted France’s determination to work towards de-escalation of tensions in the Gulf and highlighted France’s great concern about Iranian violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in line with the statement by the E3 Heads of State and Government on 5 January. The Minister stressed France’s expectations concerning the release of its nationals held in Iran.

Lastly, the Minister met the Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, Mr Masrour Barzani. He reiterated France’s solidarity with the Iraqi authorities and the Kurdistan Regional Government in the fight against Daesh, which needs to continue, and expressed France’s total support for strengthening Iraqi sovereignty.