France has moved a G7 foreign ministers' meeting from Marseille to Paris at the last minute, according to three diplomats and correspondence sent to participants that was seen by Reuters on Thursday.

Source: Reuters

The meeting — the second foreign ministers' meeting scheduled during France's G7 presidency — was due to take place in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille on November 9 and 10. France informed delegations on Wednesday evening that it would now be held in the capital instead, two of the diplomats said.

Source: Reuters

"The meeting of the G7 Foreign Ministers will ultimately be held on Monday and Tuesday in Paris," the correspondence said. "This change is primarily due to logistical and operational reasons. The scheduling of the G7 and the Paris Peace Forum in a very compressed timeframe requires significant mobilisation of human resources, equipment, security, accommodation and transportation for the delegations."

Source: Correspondence quoted by Reuters

France's foreign ministry confirmed the venue change without giving further details, Reuters reported in its updated story. The event, which involves ministers including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, had been in the works for months, and the diplomats said last-minute changes of this kind are rare.

Source: Reuters via SRN News

A switch that comes amid weeks of unrest

The move comes after six weeks of nationwide protests in France. Security forces have been stretched since September due to an ongoing student protest movement that has widened into broader demonstrations, and further protests were taking place on Thursday. On October 17, protests across multiple cities ended with looting and clashes between demonstrators and police, with Marseille the scene of some of the worst violence, Reuters reported.

Source: Reuters via SRN News

France is already in the grip of a nationwide strike wave this week, with unions out over the budget. Read: France nationwide strike coverage

Who is coming, and what is on the table

South Korea's foreign ministry said on Thursday that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will visit Paris next week to attend the G7 foreign ministers' meeting, Yonhap reported. The meeting is expected to address key global challenges including artificial intelligence and developments in the Middle East, following the G7 leaders' summit in June. South Korea is attending at the invitation of France, which holds the G7 presidency, after taking part in the first ministerial meeting in March.

Source: Yonhap

The Paris Peace Forum, an annual diplomacy conference, is scheduled for the same dates, and both events had been on the calendar for several months with no indication of a change earlier this week, the diplomats told Reuters. What happens next is the meeting itself on Monday and Tuesday in Paris, where the venue switch — officially logistical, and announced against a backdrop of unrest — is likely to be part of the conversation on the sidelines.