Macron advocates stronger EU policies in the Mediterranean counterbalancing Turkey and Russia

In a speech to the armed forces on the eve of the national holiday on Monday, French president Emmanuel Macron called on EU member states to exert stronger policies in the Mediterranean in order to resist “other powers” which seek peripheral predominance like Turkey and Russia,

Without naming those two countries the President of the French Republic stressed out that “The Mediterranean zone will be the challenge of the coming years,” adding that “many crisis factors are coming together there: maritime disputes, destabilisation of Libya, migration, trafficking of arms and people, access to resources.”

It is “crucial” that Europe seizes the Mediterranean geopolitical files head-on, and remains master of its destiny, without leaving it to “other powers” , said Monday July 13 Emmanuel Macron, evoking without naming them Turkey and Russia.

Referring to the “game of new powers” , he affirmed that “Europe has to redefine its role and its place there, without naivety and without complacency” . “The Mediterranean cannot build lasting peace without us, we cannot accept that our future will be built by other powers,” he added. “A true European policy for the Mediterranean” is “a necessity and an emergency”.

“The Mediterranean area will be the challenge for the coming years as the crisis factors which combine with it are numerous: contestation of the maritime areas, confrontations between riparian countries, destabilization of Libya, migrations, traffics, access to resources,” the French President argued.

Needless to say, the EU has not yet adopted further sanctions against Ankara, despite President Erdogan’s decision to convert once more Hagia Sophia to a mosque, on the contrary, 5 Type-214 German-made submarines and a 24,660 tons light aircraft carrier TCG Anadolu (L-400) ordered from Spanish shipyards are imminent to be delivered to the Turkish Navy (TDK).

Source: lemonde.fr

The post Macron advocates stronger EU policies in the Mediterranean counterbalancing Turkey and Russia appeared first on ARMYNOW.NET.