PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron stood by his claim on Thursday that Nato is suffering “brain death” with no strategic cooperation among members, after talks with alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg ahead of a high-stakes meeting outside London next week.
“I totally stand by raising these ambiguities because I believe it was irresponsible of us to keep talking about financial and technical matters given the stakes we currently face,” Macron said at a joint press conference after the talks.
“A wake-up call was necessary,” he said.
Macron’s comment, published in an interview with the Economist magazine this month, drew sharp criticism from allies, not least Stoltenberg, who warned against undermining the transatlantic alliance.
Stoltenberg said on Thursday that “in uncertain times, we need strong multilateral institutions like Nato,” and that he had “good and open discussions” with Macron.
He praised in particular France’s role in fighting the spread of terrorism in the Sahel region of Western Africa, which saw the death of 13 French soldiers in Mali this week when two of their helicopters collided while engaging with insurgents trying to flee.
Macron said that at next week’s Nato meeting in Watford northwest of London he would urge allies to get more involved in the Sahel fight.
While Britain has provided helicopters and security personnel to help France’s 4,500-member Barkhane force in West Africa, and the US provides intelligence support, Paris has so far failed to persuade other allies to make a significant contribution.
Macron also said he would begin an in-depth review of Barkhane with “all options on the table”, underscoring that France is acting “on behalf of everyone”.
“In this context, and in light of the decisions that France will take, a bigger engagement by its allies is obviously something that would be quite positive,” he said.
COST-SHARING
Macron also defended his move to try to establish a working relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has riled EU leaders who have shunned Moscow since its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
“We want a lucid, robust and demanding dialogue with Russia, with neither naivety nor complacency,” Macron said.
He also said European nations must be involved in any talks to forge a new pact limiting mid-range nuclear missiles held by the US and Russia, after a landmark Cold War-era accord fell apart this year.
Russia has called on the US and other Nato member to implement a moratorium on deploying medium-range missiles, something Stoltenberg has so far ruled out. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
