Macron’s Middle East flip-flop
The French president’s mixed signals on Israel and Gaza are undermining his approach to the region.
Catherine Colonna
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EU’s top diplomat condemns assault on Rafah as Israel halts aid routes
“The will to continue the war will produce another great humanitarian crisis, bigger than it is already.”
Germany to resume funding of Unrwa aid operations in Gaza
Berlin restores ties with UN agency after review says Israel has provided no evidence of terrorist linksMiddle East crisis – live updatesGermany has said it will restore cooperation and funding to Unrwa operations in the Gaza Strip after an independen…
Israel ‘yet to provide evidence’ of UNRWA staff terrorist links, independent report says
Israel’s claims the UNRWA was penetrated by terrorist networks led several European countries to halt funding to the agency.
French diplomat to review UNRWA after claims of staff role in Hamas attack
Catherine Colonna picked to head inquiry after Israel accused 12 workers of being involved in 7 October massacreA former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna is to head an independent review into the UN agency for Palestinian refugees after accusa…
Séjourné’s surprise FM job throws Renaissance lead candidate race in limbo
Stéphane Séjourné, Emmanuel Macron’s top man in the European Parliament and Renew Group’s Secretary General, was appointed Foreign Affairs minister on Thursday (11 January), leaving a question mark as to who will lead Macron’s party in the EU elections…
France’s new cabinet turns right, Renew’s Séjourné is FM, political heavyweights stay put
The new French government was unveiled on Thursday afternoon (11 January), with most political heavyweights still in, while the right makes a grand entry with two conservative ministers in top jobs and Renew lead Stéphane Séjourné becomes foreign minis…
Macron picks EU liberal leader as new foreign minister in cabinet reshuffle
Macron’s choice for foreign affairs, 38-year-old Stéphane Séjourné, is likely to make waves in both Paris and Brussels.
French FM calls for ‘immediate and lasting truce’ in Gaza
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna called for an ‘immediate truce’ in Gaza while in Israel on Sunday just before travelling to meet with Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Lebanese authorities in Lebanon on M…
Israeli attacks in Gaza intensify as international pressure for a truce mounts
Netanyahu vows to ‘fight until the end’ as dozens of people are killed in Israeli bombings.
Cameron and Baerbock call for ‘sustainable cease-fire’ in Gaza
The UK and German ministers, in a joint article in the Sunday Times, regret that ‘too many civilians have been killed’ but say the goal must be a lasting peace.
Israel snubs EU-Med summit amid war with Hamas
Arab nations and EU members meet as a ceasefire holds shakily in the Gaza Strip.
China to allow visa-free entry to citizens from 5 EU countries
France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain to benefit from temporary measure.
China relaxes visa rules for five EU states
The change in the visa rules came as French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna met with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Friday.
Macron’s rift with diplomats deepens after missteps on Israel-Hamas war
The frustration of French diplomats with Macron has spilled out into the public sphere.
EU leaders welcome Israel-Hamas temporary truce, hostage deal
French foreign minister says the agreement reached overnight offers ‘a moment of genuine hope.’
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French FM believes ‘two-state solution’ is needed in the Middle East
Europe and Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna clarified, in an interview on Sunday, France’s position on the ongoing war in the Middle East and called on Europeans to reaffirm the need for political dialogue and a two-state solution. Colonna re…
Hamas says it’s closely coordinating war’s next moves with Hezbollah in Lebanon
Head of Hamas’ political bureau in Lebanon raises specter of a second front, saying Hezbollah is ‘geared for a major war.’
Editor’s take: The trampling of Armenia
As EU leaders gather in Granada today, their most publicised agenda item is the situation with Armenia after Azerbaijan took control of Nagorno-Karabakh following a 24-hour military operation that ended almost four decades of tension.
France will send military gear to Armenia
Paris seeks to deepen defense ties with Yerevan, as it gradually moves away from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s orbit.
France calls for Armenia to benefit from the European Peace Facility
The European Union and its member states can “do more” to help Armenia and send “a clear signal”, said French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, who also announced on Tuesday that France would be delivering “military equipment”. “I have made an……
Who can Armenia count on? Yerevan angers Moscow and looks West
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna is in Armenia to examine the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan which until two weeks ago had a sizeable ethnic Armenian population. But now the enclave is almost empty, as more than 100,0…
Biden calls allies amid concerns over support for Ukraine
Several world leaders joined the call Tuesday, according to the White House.
French FM Catherine Colonna visits Armenia to underline ‘continued support’
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna hailed the Armenian parliament’s ratification of the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court on Tuesday — a vote that has angered Russia.
Kosovo accuses Serbia of being behind ‘terrorist attack’ against it and calls for ‘clear action’ from EU and west – Europe as it happened
Kosovo deputy prime minister says incident on 24 September was ‘open act of aggression’ and says it represents risk to entire region. This live blog is closed.The French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, who is visiting Armenia today, welcomed the c…
In Kyiv, EU assures Ukraine of continued support amid signs of fatigue
EU foreign ministers assured Kyiv of their continued support on Monday, amid concerns that a pro-Russian candidate’s win in Slovakia and the US Congress dropping Ukraine war aid from its spending bill might be a sign of its waning.
EU’s Borrell confident that US will continue backing Ukraine
Foreign ministers in Kyiv react to Washington dropping support package for Ukraine.
French FM slams Russian ‘complicity’ in Karabakh, calls for international diplomatic action
France needs more support to help preserve Armenia’s territorial integrity and protect the displaced populations of Nagorno-Karabakh, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told lawmakers as she announced several international initiatives on Tuesday…
Morocco stalls on French earthquake aid amid strained relations
An official visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Morocco has been postponed several times.
Dmytro Kuleba in Paris: France confirms it will support Ukraine ‘as long as necessary’
As the battles continues on the frontline, Ukraine is also persuing a diplomatic offensive. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba is in Paris today – meeting his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna. They held a press conf a short while ago, FRANC…
French FM: China must convince Russia to end war in Ukraine
China must do everything it can to convince Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine and strengthen global food security, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in a telephone conversation. China has been urged by…
Pressure grows on Niger coup leaders as deadline looms
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says his country opposes any military intervention in Niger.
France backs efforts to quash Niger coup ahead of Sunday deadline
Threat of military intervention made by ECOWAS ‘must be taken very seriously,’ French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna says.
France to evacuate nationals from Niger following coup
The military junta that took power in Niger has accused Paris of seeking to ‘intervene militarily’
Macron sacks education, health ministers in mini-reshuffle
The reshuffle kept key ministers in their posts and was described as ‘adjustments’ to government.
Macron replaces a dozen ministers in French government reshuffle
The French government underwent its second reshuffle since June 2022 on Thursday (July 20), with seven ministers being pushed out, including those in charge of health and education.