France is disappointed in Chinese ambassador's comments about national sovereignty - ambassador

RIGA - Representatives of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOF) express indignation after learning about the statements of the Chinese ambassador to France about international law and national sovereignty.

"We have learned with indignation the statement made by the Chinese ambassador in France regarding the borders of the countries that became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991," the French ambassador to Latvia, Aurelie Royet-Gounin, informed LETA about the reaction of the press secretary of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"China needs to clarify whether this statement reflects its position; we hope it does not," notes the spokeswoman for the French foreign ministry.

France expresses "total solidarity" with all allies and partners who won or regained their "much-awaited" independence after decades of oppression.

The press secretary of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds that in 1991, with regard to Ukraine, after the collapse of the USSR, the entire international community, including China, recognized Ukraine as a new member state of the UN, which also includes Crimea as part of its sovereign territory.

French representatives emphasize that the annexation of Crimea in 2014 by Russia is illegal in the context of international law. The UN Charter, based on the principle of territorial sovereignty and indivisibility, prohibits the acquisition of territories by force, emphasizes the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The French Embassy in Latvia adds that the opinion in question is an unofficial translation of the press secretary of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.