page_title: Laurent Fabius
section_title: Minister for Foreign Affairs: 2012–16
hierarchical_section_title: Laurent Fabius / Political career / Minister for Foreign Affairs: 2012–16
caption_attribution_description: English: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif meeting with Foreign Minister of France Laurent Fabius
context_page_description: Laurent Fabius is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 March 1986. Fabius was 37 years old when he was appointed and is, so far, the youngest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic.
  Fabius was also President of the National Assembly from 1988 to 1992 and again from 1997 to 2000. Fabius served in the government as Minister of Finance from 2000 to 2002 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2016.
context_section_description: On 17 May 2012, Laurent Fabius became foreign minister in the government of Jean-Marc Ayrault, appointed prime minister by President François Hollande. 
  His mandate had three milestones : 
  he didn't want to negotiate with President Assad to defeat what became ISIL,
  he supported Syrian rebel groups, and
  he reckoned that "Al-Nosra was doing a good job".
  As foreign minister, Fabius was also chair of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference which took place in Paris. His way of engaging with all delegates to achieve a successful agreement has been described as crucial, and something that will make him "go down in history as one of the great diplomats".
caption: Fabius meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
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