PARIS, August 27. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for involving Russia in the process of providing security in Europe, he stated on Monday during an annual meeting of ambassadors that focused on France’s foreign policy.
"Europe can no longer rely on the US to provide its security. It is up to us today to take our responsibilities and guarantee our own security, and thus have European sovereignty. We have to draw all necessary conclusions from the end of the Cold War," Macron added.
"This amplified European sovereignty requires reviewing the architecture of European security and defense system, by starting a new dialogue on cybersecurity issues, chemical weapons, conventional weapons, territorial conflicts, space security, the protection of polar regions, and particularly doing it in cooperation with Russia," the president said.
"I call for us to start considering these issues with our partners in the broadest sense of the word, that is, with Russia," Macron stressed. He noted "a mandatory prerequisite for achieving real progress in relations with Moscow is significant progress in regulating the Ukrainian crisis. Also, adherence to the regulations introduced by the OSCE with regards to the observers’ status in Donbass."
"However, this should not hinder us doing work in European countries right now on all these issues, and I am counting on you in this," the French president addressed the ambassadors. According to him, in the upcoming months, he will provide a project for strengthening European security.
