United Nations general secretary Antonio Guterres. PHOTO:JOSE MANUEL RIBEIRO / AFP
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday telephoned French President-elect Emmanuel Macron to say that he looks forward to France’s strong engagement in global affairs, his spokesman said.
The election of Macron is welcome news at the United Nations as it struggles to ward off threats of US funding cuts.
During the phone call, Guterres told Macron “that he looks forward to the strong engagement of France in the multilateral system,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Macron has promised to defend the Paris agreement on climate change and to work with partners to resolve international crises.
The UN chief is hoping to schedule an early meeting with Macron, whose inauguration is on Sunday.
Guterres and Macron met in December when the then-candidate for the French presidency was in New York to meet with French expatriates.
