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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEDI), is the ministry in the government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Its headquarters are located on the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, close to the National Assembly of France.
Its cabinet minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development (French: Ministre des Affaires étrangères et du Développement international) is responsible for the foreign relations of France. The current minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, was appointed in February 2016.
In 1547, secretaries to the King became specialized, writing correspondence to foreign governments, and negotiating peace treaties. The four French secretaries of state where foreign relations were divided by region, in 1589, became centralized with one becoming first secretary responsible for international relations.
The Ancien Régime position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs became Foreign Minister around 1723, and was renamed "Minister of Foreign Affairs" in 1791 after the French Revolution. All ministerial positions were abolished in 1794 by the National Convention and re-established with the Directory.
For a brief period in the 1980s, the office was retitled Minister for External Relations.
Central administration
Under the authority of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, along with two other ministers assigned to the Cooperation and European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs encompasses numerous services: