Mesdames et Messieurs de media,

Je suis heureux d’être de retour à Strasbourg, au Conseil de l’Europe.

Mme Brasseur et moi-même venons d’avoir des échanges très productifs sur diverses questions.

Nous avons parlé, en particulier, de l’importance que revêt pour la démocratie une société civile robuste et diverse.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The President and I discussed also how we can continue working closely together to promote sustainable development, counter violent extremism, and address the grave humanitarian situation of migrants travelling through the Mediterranean and elsewhere in South East Asia in the Andaman Sea.

I expressed concern about the tragic deaths of migrants.

Saving lives must be our top priority. In that regard, I welcomed the commitment and concerted efforts by European leaders.

The United Nations is ready to work with European leaders for progress.

I am deeply concerned, at the same time, about the rise of racism, hate speech and xenophobia here and around the world.

I encourage the Council of Europe to work in close coordination with the United Nations to tackle this problem.

President Brasseur and I also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine. I stressed the importance of full implementation of the Minsk package of measures.

We also discussed the urgent need for the adoption of a new agenda for sustainable development and a new universal and ambitious agreement on climate change.

I deeply value your partnership, Madame President.

Mesdames et Messieurs,

Je remercie Mme Brasseur de son leadership et de sa détermination.

Merci.