French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday mourned the passing of former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi Annan who died at 80.
"France pays tribute to him," Macron wrote on his twitter account.
"We will never forget his calm and resolute approach to matters, nor the strength of his commitments," he added.
In a statement, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian paid tribute to "a committed" man who had served "greatest issues ... of peace, development, the promotion of human rights, the fight against poverty and discrimination."
"He was also a friend of France ... I pay tribute to his memory and wish to express the gratitude of France for his tireless efforts in the service of peace," he added.
Annan, a Ghanaian national, died earlier on Saturday in a Swiss hospital.
Born in 1938, Annan served as the seventh UN Secretary-General from 1997 to 2006. He and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.
As Secretary-General, one of Annan's main priorities was a comprehensive program of reform aimed at revitalizing the United Nations and making the international system more effective.
Furthermore, he was a constant advocate for human rights, the rule of law, the Millennium Development Goals and Africa, and sought to bring the Organization closer to the global public by forging ties with civil society, the private sector and other partners.
