French ambassador remains in Niger, defying junta's orders to leave

euronews (in English)

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that his ambassador to Niger would remain at his post, despite being asked to leave by the ruling junta.

Transcript

00:00 France's President Emmanuel Macron hosted French ambassadors at the Elysee Palace here

00:05 in Paris this Monday, a tradition that actually precedes Emmanuel Macron, something that French

00:09 presidents have often done in the past in order to convey some of France's strategies

00:15 and priorities when it comes to diplomacy and foreign policy.

00:19 And this Monday, Emmanuel Macron spoke about the coming future challenges for the French

00:26 diplomatic corps, but also about some of the challenges.

00:29 Those diplomats have been exposed to when working across the country in the past year.

00:34 He mentioned countries from where these diplomats have operated, plunged in crises, including

00:40 Haiti, but also Sudan and, of course, Ukraine, where he spoke about the need for peace, but

00:48 about how a ceasefire will not bring about lasting peace.

00:52 He said that peace in Ukraine needs to be a well-planned project and a well-negotiated

00:58 package of new guarantees, security guarantees, that is, for Ukraine and for Europe.

01:05 Emmanuel Macron also addressed the situation in Niger, where thousands of people have been

01:09 taking to the streets demanding French troops to leave after the military junta in the country

01:16 demanded the resignation of the French ambassador, an ultimatum rejected by Paris, saying that

01:22 those military rulers do not have the authority to make such requests.

01:27 Emmanuel Macron insisted that the French are on the right side of history by supporting

01:33 the legitimate, democratically elected president of that country, Mohamed Bazoum, and insisted

01:40 that the very existence of countries such as Niger, but also Burkina Faso and Mali,

01:46 has only been guaranteed because of the presence of French troops, because of the commitment

01:52 that the French have made at the request of the governments of those very countries.

01:58 He also said that the French are now rethinking their partnerships and their partners in the

02:05 region.

02:06 Annelies Borges in Paris for Euronews.

02:09 [WHOOSH]

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