{"id":36858,"date":"2021-06-24T16:44:51","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T23:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=36858"},"modified":"2021-06-24T16:44:51","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T23:44:51","slug":"the-united-states-and-france-allies-partners-and-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=36858","title":{"rendered":"The United States and France: Allies, Partners, and Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"
06\/24\/2021 01:40 PM EDT<\/div>\n

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Office of the Spokesperson<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Macron and I stand together, ready to take on the toughest challenges we face.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0President Biden, June\u00a011, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n

Secretary\u00a0Antony J. Blinken\u00a0will travel to\u00a0Paris, France,\u00a0June 24-27, 2021, where he will meet with\u00a0French President\u00a0Emmanuel\u00a0Macron and\u00a0French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian.\u00a0 During this trip to engage with the\u00a0United States\u2019\u00a0oldest\u00a0Ally,\u00a0<\/wbr>Secretary\u00a0Blinken\u00a0will emphasize the importance of maintaining\u00a0Transatlantic\u00a0<\/wbr>cooperation,\u00a0addressing\u00a0our joint response to the ongoing health crisis,\u00a0tackling the climate crisis,\u00a0and highlighting\u00a0the strength of our longstanding bilateral partnership.<\/p>\n

The United States and France are Close Allies<\/strong><\/p>\n

France\u00a0is America\u2019s oldest friend and\u00a0Ally. \u00a0Our relationship is built upon our shared commitment to the same values \u2013 democracy,\u00a0human rights,\u00a0the\u00a0rule of law, security, and prosperity. \u00a0The closeness of our military, economic, and political cooperation form the basis of\u00a0our\u00a0enduring partnership.<\/p>\n

The United States has counted on France as a close partner since the very foundation of our country. \u00a0We remember\u00a0Gilbert du Mortier,\u00a0Marquis de Lafayette,\u00a0and\u00a0Jean-Baptiste Donatien de\u00a0Vimeur,\u00a0Comte de Rochambeau,\u00a0as\u00a0heroes of the American Revolution. \u00a0France came to\u00a0the aid of our\u00a0young\u00a0country;\u00a0the\u00a0United States has not\u00a0forgotten.<\/p>\n

In 2021, we commemorated\u00a0the 77th anniversary of D-Day and the sacrifices made on the beaches of Normandy.\u00a0 As NATO Allies, France and the United States have built and sustained the post-war global order, which promotes freedom and prosperity. \u00a0Our joint commitment to shared\u00a0Transatlantic\u00a0values\u00a0<\/wbr>has\u00a0brought us 77\u00a0years of peace and prosperity.<\/p>\n

Confronting Global Challenges: The United States Counts on France as a Partner<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s global challenges underscore the importance of strong partnerships. \u00a0Security, economic, and cultural cooperation form the basis\u00a0of our bilateral relationship. \u00a0France is a\u00a0key NATO\u00a0Ally and an important bilateral economic partner.\u00a0\u00a0France will assume the presidency of the Council of\u00a0the\u00a0European\u00a0Union\u00a0in January 2022,\u00a0and we look forward to working with France to revitalize\u00a0and raise the level\u00a0of ambition in the United States\u2019 partnership with the EU.<\/p>\n

Security cooperation underpins our bilateral relationship. \u00a0France remains a steadfast partner in the fight against terrorism,\u00a0as both a member of the\u00a0Global\u00a0Coalition to\u00a0Defeat ISIS and through its counterterrorism leadership in the Sahel. \u00a0Around the world, we look to France as a partner in global security.<\/p>\n

The United States and France agree on the need to hold Russia accountable for its aggressive and destabilizing activities, including in Ukraine. \u00a0France is a partner in standing up to Russia\u2019s attempts to undermine\u00a0democratic systems.<\/p>\n

We\u00a0coordinate\u00a0with France\u00a0on issues like human rights, economic coercion,\u00a0and corruption,\u00a0to amplify our voices and combat\u00a0the PRC\u2019s\u00a0attempts to erode the values\u00a0and institutions\u00a0that\u00a0undergird\u00a0<\/wbr>the rules-based international order.<\/p>\n

The United States is\u00a0dedicated to raising\u00a0global climate ambitions.\u00a0In the lead up to COP26, we will continue to work with France\u00a0in\u00a0implementing\u00a0climate finance to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement,\u00a0and\u00a0accelerating\u00a0<\/wbr>the\u00a0transition to\u00a0a\u00a0clean energy\u00a0economy to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century.<\/p>\n

The Thriving Bilateral Economic Relationship Supports Our Workers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The United States and France share a deep trade and investment relationship. \u00a0France is the United States\u2019 third\u00a0largest trading partner in Europe\u00a0with\u00a0$99.7\u00a0billion\u00a0of\u00a0<\/wbr>goods and services\u00a0traded in 2020. \u00a0The United States is the top destination for French investment and the United States is the largest foreign investor in France. \u00a0In total, we have invested\u00a0more than\u00a0$394\u00a0billion in each other\u2019s economies. \u00a0The 4,800 French firms in the United States support 780,000 jobs, while the 4,500 U.S. firms in France support\u00a0nearly 500,000 jobs.<\/p>\n

First and foremost, the United States and\u00a0France\u00a0share concerns about\u00a0the health of our citizens as we seek to reduce the spread of\u00a0COVID-19\u00a0and ensure equitable access to vaccines.\u00a0 The\u00a0United States\u00a0and France have both\u00a0committed to share\u00a0vaccine\u00a0doses through COVAX and will continue to support\u00a0global vaccination efforts.\u00a0 We must work together to safely restore global travel and trade\u00a0on a sustainable basis, and the United States\u00a0looks\u00a0forward to partnering with France to increase global preparedness to better prevent and respond to future outbreaks.<\/p>\n

Deep Historical and Cultural Ties Cement Our People-to-People Bonds\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The enduring relationship between our two countries is apparent in our historical connection and people-to-people ties. \u00a0France and the United States share a strong commitment to educational exchanges. \u00a0Before the coronavirus pandemic,\u00a0approximately18,000\u00a0<\/wbr>Americans\u00a0studied\u00a0abroad in France each year, making France\u00a0among the top\u00a0four\u00a0most popular study abroad destinations for American students.\u00a0 French students are also attracted to educational exchange opportunities in the United States. \u00a0In\u00a0the 2019\/2020 academic year,\u00a08,471\u00a0French students chose to study at a U.S. college or university.\u00a0 \u00a0Although COVID-19 has forced many of our exchange programs to pause this year, interest\u00a0in exchanges\u00a0remains strong,\u00a0and\u00a0we will make every effort to ensure that these exchanges between our two countries not only continue but grow.<\/p>\n

Established in 1948, the U.S.-French Fulbright program is one of the oldest Fulbright programs in the world. \u00a0Every year, approximately 160 French and American students, scholars, teaching assistants, and higher education administrators receive Fulbright awards to study, teach, and conduct research.\u00a0 Since its inception, the program\u00a0has supported\u00a0approximately\u00a030,000 individual Fulbright exchanges between the United States and France and will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

06\/24\/2021 01:40 PM EDT   Office...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-u-s-a","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36858"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36859,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36858\/revisions\/36859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}