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Fondation

The Middle East Studies Foundation (FEMO) is an association under the 1901 law with a view to becoming a foundation. It is an independent structure responsible for carrying out studies on the Middle East with European institutions, international organizations and individuals.

Through the conferences, publications and reports that it organizes, FEMO intends to shed light on the complex issues of the Middle East from experts and thus enrich the debate on the geopolitical and geostrategic situation of this region. The Foundation aims to be a reference base for national and European public authorities.

The scientific committee of the Foundation for Middle Eastern Studies aims to attract legitimate French and international experts on Middle Eastern issues, whether academics or senior civil servants. This is to counterbalance the biased analyzes of lobbyists and other pressure groups too often offering a reading of the Middle East far removed from the realities on the ground. FEMO experts are therefore committed to bringing to as many people as possible analyzes and solutions that are independent of any financial issue.

Jean-Francois Legaret
Jean-Francois Legaret

FEMO is chaired by Jean-François Legaret, succeeding François Colcombet, founder of FEMO. Former mayor of the 1st arrondissement of Paris until 2020 and councilor of Paris from 1989 to 2020, Jean-François Legaret is a politician who has devoted himself during his elected career to the fight against religious extremism. He was not indifferent to the upheavals in the Middle East that affected the rest of the world, and co-chaired the committee of mayors for a democratic Iran during his term as mayor.

François Colcombet, Honorary magistrate, who was in particular Counselor at the Court of Cassation, and co-founder of the Syndicat de la magistrature, of which he was President from 1973 to 1974. He was interested in Middle Eastern issues and studied with meticulousness under the prism of Law, the constitutions of the Islamic Republics.

Read about François Colcombet:

https://www.fondationfemo.com/en/death-of-francois-colcombet-president-of-femo-foundation-for-middle-east-studies/

François Colcombet, Président de la FEMO