President Macron holds talks in Paris with Sir Keir Starmer
Meeting with Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Communiqué issued by the Presidency of the Republic
Paris, 11 November 2024
President Macron had a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, at the Elysée Palace today, Monday 11 November 2024.
The President began by thanking Prime Minister Starmer for attending the 11 November 2024 ceremony, whose theme this year was Franco-British friendship, with the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between France and the United Kingdom drawing to a close, and on the 80th anniversary of General de Gaulle and Winston Churchill commemorating the Armistice under the Arc de Triomphe for the first time since the Liberation of France.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the major international issues. Following on from the messages conveyed at the European Political Community summit in Hungary, President Macron stressed the need to assert Europeans’ own interests and responsibilities in terms of security and defence. In this regard, they spoke about the outlook for the relationship between the European Union and the UK.
Regarding the situation in Ukraine, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to coordinate closely, stressing their determination to support Ukraine unfailingly and for as long as it takes to defeat the war of aggression that Russia is waging in Ukraine.
They took stock of the situation in the Middle East and expressed their desire to continue their efforts with all the regional and international partners to work for a return to peace and security for all in the Middle East.
Finally, the two leaders reiterated their desire to deepen bilateral relations, particularly in terms of security and defence, with a view to the next bilateral summit, expected to be held in the UK in 2025. They emphasized the need to continue cooperation on migration in the Channel, in particular against people-trafficking rings. They also agreed to step up cooperation on artificial intelligence, on protecting the oceans and biodiversity, and on development and climate issues./.