Paris 3rd of September : France must stick to its independent foreign policy and develop more balanced partnerships to promote multilateralism President Emmanuel Macron said during an ambassadors conference.In the past few years, there have been many unexpected events, including the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the war between Ukraine and Russia, he told the diplomats and added that France alone is not equipped with the resources to deal with the crises that have arisen, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.
Its aim is to “build more and more equal, balanced, regional and bilateral alliances”, Macron said.
The President stated that he hopes to create a “stronger powerful, more influential, and more self-reliant” France, and keep France as an “balancing power” that promotes peace and stability.
In a discussion of European strategic autonomy Macron explained to French diplomats the concept had become commonplace across Europe.
“Above all we have come together and created an even stronger Europe of defense by building bricks.
We have done this both bilaterally and multilaterally.We have strengthened the European Union.
“It is in fact the independence of our country that we are securing and consolidating.This same independence that I am also seeking at the geopolitical level” he said, adding that Europe is becoming “more and more independent”.
Macron admitted that the United States is an ally but warned that “we don’t need to be dependent on the United States”.
“France and Europe should therefore work to build the independence they need, and it is geopolitical.We shouldn’t be asked to decide on the way to conduct our policies.”
Macron also stated France’s foreign policy is to continue building an effective multilateralism.
He stated that France should intensify its efforts in multilateralism, particularly in public health and climate change, as well as biodiversity.
In the context of the sake of public health, Macron highlighted “the value of international health collaboration” via the World Health Organization.
“I believe that our job is to consolidate the World Health Organization as the foundation of an effective multilateral institution.We must absolutely unite the principles of the sharing of information, transparency, and scientific independence,” he noted.
Macron also emphasized the importance of multilateralism in the fight against the issue of climate change and biodiversity.
“For many years it’s been at core of our diplomatic efforts and our diplomatic success,” he said.
To achieve the Paris Agreement, France should “convince our principal partners from the developed nations in the context of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) to meet the highest emission commitments per person”, he said.
However “in the same way of equitable sharing of efforts,” those in developing countries “must be able to negotiate financing agreements to support the transition into energy in our collective interest and with terms that are more affordable in comparison to in advanced countries”, Macron noted.
“We are not able to ask emerging countries to move faster and make a choice between climate and development with the conditions for financing that are harsher than in our country.”
