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.
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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]