France's defense white paper over the past few years has always considered Africa to be the second most strategically important region for France, after Europe. Therefore, maintaining good relations and protecting France's role in relations with African countries has always been one of the top foreign policy priorities of President Emmanuel Macron's government.
With the aim of renewing relations with Africa and building a balanced partnership that benefits the continent, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourné is on a three-country trip to Kenya, Rwanda and Côte d'Ivoire. This is Foreign Minister Sejourné's first visit to Africa as head of French diplomacy, taking place in a context of France's declining influence on the continent.
During his first stop in Kenya, Mr. Sejourné expressed France’s desire to build a balanced partnership and work with the region to realize common goals on climate, biodiversity, economy and modern industry. Mr. Sejourné also reaffirmed France’s neutrality, dialogue with all parties and non-interference in the internal politics of countries. The number of French companies operating in Kenya has almost tripled, from 50 to 140 in a decade. However, bilateral trade remains imbalanced and both sides are looking for ways to overcome this problem.
After Kenya, in Rwanda, Mr. Séjourné will attend commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide that killed 800,000 people, most of them members of the Tutsi ethnic minority. In Ivory Coast, the two sides are expected to discuss a “transformational agenda,” investment in major infrastructure projects and possibly the future of Port-Bouët, one of five French bases in Ivory Coast.
According to observers, the new commitments from the French Government show that Paris is making moves to convince African countries to believe in a truly equal and beneficial future of cooperation, thereby eliminating prejudices about the decades-long “French Africa” policy. This is the premise for France to gradually restore its role and position on the black continent.
THANH HANG
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