Paraguay – Meeting between Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot and his Paraguayan counterpart, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano

On September 10, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot welcomed his Paraguayan counterpart, Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, for a meeting following on from the bilateral political consultations held in Paris on April 28.

The Ministers discussed bilateral cooperation on security matters, and particularly drug trafficking, a shared priority. On this same occasion, they issued a joint statement on the fight against drug trafficking. They applauded the implementation of the declaration of intent to combat human trafficking, which was adopted in April, and spoke about expanding bilateral cooperation on this issue.

They discussed economic cooperation between France and Paraguay, as well as reciprocal investment opportunities for our businesses. They also praised the scope of our diplomatic cooperation, following last April’s adoption of a declaration of intent related to cooperation between our diplomatic academies and the Paraguayan academy’s participation in the Fabrique de la Diplomatie event held on September 4 and 5.

The Ministers also addressed regional and international crises, and exchanged views on Venezuela and Haiti. Minister Barrot reiterated the importance for the international community to remain united in condemning the ongoing Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

Lastly, the Ministers discussed their shared priorities in the lead-up to the High-level Week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. They emphasized the momentum of the French-Mexican initiative to suspend veto powers in the event of mass atrocities, which now enjoys the support of 122 nations.