France’s Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific
Marc Abensour, a career diplomat, was appointed Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific on 24 October 2022.
His professional experience mainly covers the Asia-Pacific area and political and military affairs. He was First Secretary at the Embassy of France in China from 1996 to 2000, and at the Embassy of France in the United States from 2000 to 2002, before becoming Head of the Far East Department from 2003 to 2005.
From 2008 to 2012, Marc Abensour was Deputy Permanent Representative of France to NATO, followed by positions as Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister of Defence in 2014 and Director for International, Strategic and Technological Affairs at the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security in 2012 and 2013.
Before his appointment as Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific, Mr Abensour was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Singapore from 2016 to 2022. He succeeded Christophe Penot, former Ambassador to Malaysia and Australia, and who was the first Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific.
Created in September 2020, this position aims to strengthen France’s Indo-Pacific strategy and assert French diplomacy in the region. Based in Paris, the Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific has a role in coordinating, representing and promoting France’s Indo-Pacific strategy. He travels around the region to identify and launch tangible projects aimed at developing sovereignty partnerships with the countries of the Indo-Pacific.
The action of the Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific includes four priorities :
1 – In liaison with the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN), he is responsible for the interministerial coordination of France’s Indo-Pacific strategy for each of its four pillars : security and defence ; economics, connectivity and innovation ; multilateralism and the rule of law ; climate change, biodiversity and the sustainable management of oceans.
2 – He contributes to the representation of our country in the region, and strengthens ownership of the Indo-Pacific strategy by all public and private stakeholders. He increases our cooperation with the partners of the region and regional organizations and deepens the inclusion of French overseas territories in their neighbourhood.
3 – He promotes the French vision of an inclusive Indo-Pacific, in which France seeks to serve as a stabilizing power, committed to effective multilateralism based on the rule of law.
4 – He contributes to the implementation of the European strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, in coordination with the European Union institutions and other Member States.