![]() ![]() This is true in the face of maritime tensions in the area, and it is true at the borders with our Indian strategic partner, and in the case of Taiwan. We are deeply committed to the preservation of peace and stability in the region. We also hope to do so with the Republic of Korea, and I commend its ambition for the Indo-Pacific, which we fully share. And, it is behind the cooperation we seek with Japan, in the framework of our exceptional partnership. That is also the aim of the strategic partnership that we are building, brick by brick, with Indonesia. That is the focus of our strategic partnership with India, which marks its 25th year this year. Our aim, in the words of President Macron, is for all States to have freedom over their sovereignty. Next, it held a training course for the Royal Cambodian Navy, before reaching South Korea via the Taiwan Strait, through which it transited a few days ago, in line with the law of the sea.įor France, the preservation of an Indo-Pacific area that is both free and open, prosperous and respectful of the global commons, involves both respecting the rule of law and seeking the most inclusive cooperation possible with all States.įrance is deeply committed to its strategic autonomy, which it uses to benefit the autonomy of other States, taking an approach based on partnership between responsible powers, which are committed to stability and the rule of law. It conducted operations alongside the Philippine Coast Guard and the navy of our strategic partner, Vietnam. It began with a mission to combat illegal fishing for the Pacific Islands Forum. The journey travelled by Prairial and its missions are a perfect illustration of this. Its preservation is key to the Indo-Pacific strategy adopted by France in 2018, along with the protection of global public goods, first and foremost the climate and the environment. The rules-based international order is indeed at stake. As the President of the French Republic recalled at the General Assembly of the United Nations, if one attack is allowed to happen, another will take place elsewhere and nobody will be safe. If we allow Russia to flout these principles with impunity in Europe today, we will set a precedent. Either way, it is a question of compliance with the most fundamental principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and our common charter: the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States. It is also important that the countries of the Indo-Pacific do not turn their backs on the war in Ukraine, seeing it as an exclusively European crisis. The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine does not change our focus on the Indo-Pacific. There is no need for me to mention here the importance of this region for France, which is the only European State to have territories here, in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, with the world’s second-largest exclusive economic zone, and permanent sovereignty resources which are destined to grow significantly in the coming years, in accordance with the military programming act. My second message concerns that part of the world. This is particularly true in the Indo-Pacific. This threat from the North is set against a backdrop of rising tensions and a serious undermining of the rules-based international order. And we will continue to rally our diplomatic and military assets, such as the frigate Prairial, to ensure that Security Council resolutions, which apply to all, are respected. We will not compromise on the imperative of complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea. In the face of North Korea’s unacceptable forging ahead with the illegal development of its nuclear and ballistic programmes, we stand alongside South Korea. We share the same vision of the world, founded on the same commitment to democracy, human rights, and without any doubt our independence, but also the independence of all countries within the United Nations multilateral system. My first message is one of solidarity between France and Korea.Īs we approach the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, I want to say to our Korean friends that you can count on France’s commitment by your side, today and tomorrow, as you have in the past. It gives me an opportunity to share some messages with you. So our meeting today on board the Prairial is no coincidence. Our Navy knows these waters well, France knows them. The presence of our Navy so far from Metropolitan France, but in a strategic region for our security interests, is nothing new. ![]() ![]() I commend you all for your commitment to serving our country. This stopover in the Republic of Korea comes after a long voyage, from French Polynesia, which has not exactly been – and we’ll come back to this – plain sailing for you and your crew. Thank you very much for your welcome on board the frigate Prairial. ![]()
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