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Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and the Foreign Minister of France Catherine Colonna issued a joint statement following their talks in Paris.
1. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly MP and Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna held talks in Paris today, reaffirming the enduring and essential partnership between France and the United Kingdom. On the occasion of Armistice Day, they reflected on their countries’ shared history and sacrifice.
2. The Ministers looked forward to the ambitious bilateral Summit to be held in France in early 2023. They underlined the importance of cooperation in addressing global and bilateral challenges:
3. They underlined their determination to provide Ukraine with the political, military, humanitarian and economic support it needed to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and to enhance its resilience for the coming winter and beyond. They deplored the global impact of Russia’s actions and underlined their commitment to mitigate the consequences for the most vulnerable. They agreed to coordinate preparations for the respective upcoming international conferences on civilian resilience and recovery. They reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to the fight against impunity.
4. The Ministers committed to strengthening cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific and coordinate responses to the systemic challenges posed by an increasingly assertive China, while remaining ready to work with China on global challenges such as climate change. France and the UK will press China, as permanent member of the UNSC, notably with regard to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, to uphold its responsibilities in the UN, on Ukraine and human rights.
5. On Iran, they condemned Iran’s violent repression of legitimate peaceful protests and Iran’s support for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, including through drones used for indiscriminate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure. They condemned Iran’s destabilising activities in and around the Middle East, including transfers of UAVs and missiles and pledged to reinforce international cooperation to counter these activities. The Ministers reiterated their clear determination that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon and their deep concerns at its insufficient cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Find out more about the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Paris.
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