BRUSSELS — France has stepped back from a social-media confrontation with the United States after an online exchange over a U.N. vote coincided with Washington delaying confirmation of Paris’ envoy to Washington.

In a statement on Friday reported by AFP, France’s mission to the U.N. in Geneva sought to smooth things over after a July remark that questioned Washington’s commitment to human rights. “France and the United States recently adopted divergent positions during a vote at the United Nations General Assembly. This divergence concerned a single vote and did not relate to the defense of human rights,” the mission said.

“Differences in public opinion on a vote do not impede close dialogue with the United States and do not call into question our historic alliance, nor our ability to work together to promote peace, stability and prosperity, including within multilateral forums.” The wording makes clear Paris preferred to defuse the row rather than let it damage long-term cooperation with a powerful partner.

AFP reported that the U.S. State Department received the apology positively. “We take note of France’s statement and appreciate it; we look forward to collaborating with them to promote our common values ​​and interests,” a State Department official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The appointment of French diplomat Aurélien Lechevallier as ambassador to the U.S. was blocked by Washington amid the spat, France24 reports.

The dispute began in July when the French mission to the U.N. in Geneva posted on X that “The U.S. used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore.” The comment followed the U.S. vote against renewing the term of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.

Two days after the French mission’s post, the U.S. walked out of a U.N. Security Council meeting when France’s representative began to speak.

France’s apology and the U.S. response open the way for Lechevallier to be confirmed for the Washington post. Currently chief of staff to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Lechevallier is expected to replace Laurent Bili as France’s envoy to the United States.

Such incidents show how fragile transatlantic relations can be when public diplomacy gets heated; Paris chose to cool tensions quickly to preserve cooperation on broader strategic issues.