On his first trip abroad as German chancellor, Olaf Soltz visited Paris reaffirming the Franco-German axis, and pledged to work with France on the great challenges facing the EU.
After his first meeting with the German leader in Paris on Friday, French President Emanuel Macron welcomed the “convergence of views” between France and Germany. Addressing Soltz as “dear Olaf” and the singular, Macron said he had seen “a convergence of views, a desire for our countries to work together and a firm and determined faith in Europe, which I already knew, and which we will need.” in the coming months and years. ”
The two leaders met for the first time in Paris amid growing tensions in Eastern Europe, including the Belarussian-Polish border crisis and the deployment of Russian troops in Donbas.
At a joint news conference in Paris, Soltz called for new quadripartite talks with Moscow to de-escalate tensions on Ukraine’s borders, while making it clear that the rules must be respected by all. “We will start further activities to make sure that Ukraine has a good prospect,” Solz said.
“We have a good basis that needs to be revitalized – for example the Normandy-style talks,” he said, referring to talks between Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine aimed at resolving the crisis.
A Europe “that is strong”
The meeting came a day after Macron presented an ambitious agenda for a “Europe that is strong in the world” with France taking over the rotating presidency of the 27-member Council of the European Union in the first half of the new year.
Following the meeting with the French President, Soltz will travel to Brussels for talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU leader Ursula von der Leyen, as well as European Council President Charles Michel on the sidelines of the summit. next week. The European response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, growing calls for a diplomatic boycott of the Olympic Games in China and the deployment of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine will dominate these discussions.
Solz had already warned Moscow on Thursday of “consequences” for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a Russian gas supply project to Germany and a major source of friction with many partners. As Western powers threaten new sanctions against Moscow, the project could soon play a central role.
france24.com
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