PRESIDENT MACRON CONVERSED IN A PEACEFUL CLIMATE WITH TURKISH PDT ERDOGAN

USPA NEWS - French President Emmanuel Macron met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in Brussels on the sidelines of the NATO summit, during 45 minutes, and explained during the press conference that his meeting took place in a "peaceful atmosphere ". The French head of state , responded to many journalists about the tension that reigned between him, Emmanuel Macron and Recep Tayyip Erdogan who had informed him of salvos, last year adding that "it was important to move forward", on all contentious subjects. In December 2020, Turkish President Erdogan attacked French President by declaring "Macron is a problem for France. With Macron, France is going through a very dangerous time. I hope France will get rid of the Macron problem as soon as possible. possible, "Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul after participating in Friday prayers in the former Hagia Sophia, which was turned into a mosque in July. "According to the French head of state, there is a "will to work together » over the crises in Syria and Libya to find solutions.

President Macron also explained that he had addressed the case of Fabien Azoulay, a Frenchman sentenced to 16 years in prison by Turkish justice for possession of narcotics in 2017: "The conditions for his rapid transfer (to France) are progressing", indicated Emmanuel Macron, hoping that this procedure will succeed "as soon as possible".------------------------ President Macron, who is a man of dialogue, and desirous of eliminating misunderstandings, therefore met his counterpart at the NATO summit, as an "ally", on a ground of pure and transatlantic alliance, in Brussels. The head of state Macron, thus announced at the end of the press conference of the NATO summit of this meeting of nearly an hour, which allowed "the appeasement", "the clarification" and "the work concrete on humanitarian issues in Syria and Libya, "he added. "Considering the stakes", "we both agreed that it was necessary to do everything to be able to work together", according to him. President Macron also explained that he discussed with President Erdogan the religion of Islam and that the policy of France "is not to attack a religion" and that French citizens and "that in France several millions of our fellow citizens believe in Islam, practice it daily. " He added that: "I would say that it is not the business of the State, that simply what is asked of them is to respect absolutely the laws and the rules of the Republic but that the Government of France , the French nation is fighting, on the one hand, against all forms of terrorism, including Islamist terrorism and, on the other hand, that we had indeed strengthened our policy of fighting against extremist groups who use and distort the religion to get some of our fellow citizens out of the Republic and respect for its laws. " As a man of dialogue and a search for transparency and clarity, President Macron has aknowledged: "I think that these clarifications were necessary to avoid the amalgamations which had given rise to an escalation, as you say, of violence, of conflagrations, not just in Turkey, moreover, in also a number of regions where Islam is the main cult, and also used by certain other powers which did not necessarily wish France good. " Finally, on the situation in Libya, French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also "found clear points of convergence" to "preserve the ceasefire" and "the objective" of organizing elections on December 24 in order to "accompany" the government of national unity formed under the aegis of the UN. We publish the full text of President Macron’s press conference after the meetings and bilateral meetings.

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC AFTER THE NATO SUMMIT AT PRESS CONFERENCE----------- We publish the full transcript of the remarks by President macron, at the Press conferee held at the NATO Summit 2021, Brussels (Belgium), Monday, June 14, 2021 President Emmanuel MACRON : « Good, ladies and gentlemen ministers. Ladies and gentlemen ambassadors, general officers. Ladies and gentlemen, I therefore come to report to you on the summit that we have just held, above all to thank the Secretary-General, for the preparation of this work and the meeting which was held today, which was what I held today. I would call a moment of strategic clarification starting. We still have a lot of work ahead of us but it was an important step that we wanted at the end of 2019. Indeed, the context called for it, which was marked on the one hand by the end of the engagement. in Afghanistan, which is a turning point for the Alliance and the need to learn from it. I took this opportunity to pay tribute to those who have participated for 20 years in this presence alongside the Afghan people and who have lost their lives. And here I want to have a thought for the 90 French who fell on this battlefield and for their families. And on the other hand, the context is also marked by the doubts and uncertainties that have emerged in recent years, in particular because of the doubts on the American commitment, as well as on the objectives, principles and rules of conduct at the within the Alliance. This is what led me to express myself at the end of 2019, with a certain clarity and at the London summit, in December 2019, to be able to request a report from the Wise Men and to draw the first conclusions. within the framework of the declaration which, today, came out of this summit which will be able to irrigate our work in the coming months.This clarification will continue since we have started in Europe a so-called strategic compass work which was launched by the German presidency and which will culminate under the French presidency. And then, in 2022, we will have the NATO summit which will make it possible to put this new concept on the table which, at that time, will draw all the conclusions of the Wise Men report. In any case, this agenda of clarification, as I mentioned, is progressing since today we have very clearly displayed and affirmed our desire to revitalize the Atlantic Alliance, not by going back to patterns of the past, but if I may say so. , by regaining clarity. In this regard, I welcome President BIDEN's expressions both during the G7 and today, as well as during the bilateral meeting that we were able to have two days ago now in Carbis Bay. This revitalization of the Atlantic Alliance is, on the one hand, the reaffirmation of the attachment to article 5 of solidarity between allies based on our common values, on democratic principles and on respect for international law. . This reaffirmation is important where ambiguities may have arisen. Then there is the clear desire for close consultation with the European allies to conduct a dual approach of deterrence and dialogue with Russia. And as such, we can congratulate ourselves in the same way on the dialogue which has been established between President BIDEN and the Europeans present here for the exchange of June 16 between Presidents BIDEN and POUTINE and therefore which marks this decision. into account, I would say, and this partnership installed. And finally, through a partnership and no longer competitive approach between NATO and the European Union, in particular on the challenges posed by China and the emerging threats of cyberspace. And, at the same time the press release, but the nature of the discussions were able to show that this desire for strategic autonomy of Europe, the construction at the same time of a discourse, of a strategy, of capacities that we forged these recent years, is a component that strengthens NATO and not a competitor and that it is a partnership approach that must be taken into account here too to manage our own neighborhood."

PDT MACRON TO DISCUSS WITH HIS TURKISH COUNSEL ERDOGAN ABOUT SYRIA AND LIBYA------------------ "This clarification is essential to me and it is the same spirit that presided over the discussion that I was able to see this morning with President ERDOGAN, whom I met face to face for a long time before the summit. Clarification on the subject of our values ??and also desire to find a useful path in Syria and Libya, and I can come back to it if you have any questions. I was able, during this interview with President ERDOGAN, also to raise the case of our compatriot Fabien AZOULAY. I was able to have a few moments ago the answers of President ERDOGAN and therefore the conditions for a rapid transfer are advancing which, I hope, will allow us to succeed as soon as possible, but the This morning's discussion produced results that are already useful. Then, beyond this agenda of clarification which is progressing, the exchanges with the Heads of State also allowed for clarity and demand on the points that France had raised.First, our values s, principles and rules of conduct within NATO. "thus explains the French Head of State.

« WE AFFIRMED OUR VALUES AND THE OBJECTIVES OF THE ALLIANCE "DECLARED PDT MACRON----------- “We have acted together to reaffirm these principles enshrined in the North Atlantic Treaty and a right to evoke disputes when the behavior of an ally poses a question for the security interests of others. This subject, at the heart of the Wise Men 's report, at the heart of the discussions we had at the end of 2019, is now established and it is, I think, an important element of our rules of common life. » President Macron, explained Then, on the missions and objectives of the Alliance. Today's discussion has really helped to clarify things in part. First on the definition of the enemy. I mentioned it with you again yesterday for those who accompanied me to Carbis Bay. The enemy is the one who threatens the sovereignty, the security of one of the allies. And as such, very clearly, Islamist terrorism threatens our values and our democracies and is indeed an identified and common enemy. » President Macron, acknowledged.

THE BIDEN POUTINE MEETING IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THE NEW START WHICH IS EXTENDED FOR 5 YEARS------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "But the discussions also made it possible to move forward on the clarification of our strategy vis-à-vis Russia, which must go through a demanding dialogue within a robust framework to build a security architecture on the European continent, through particularly of arms control. This has largely been deconstructed in recent years. I largely returned to it and even if New Start is extended for 5 years, the end of the INF Treaty, the exit of Russia from the Open Skies Treaty, among others, have marked the end of an architecture of control and mastery of armaments on European soil which implies relaunching a dynamic. We were able to discuss it, each one made their own arguments. »  President Macron explained. ----------------------- The discussion between President BIDEN and POUTINE is one of the elements of this but I was able, in this regard, to reaffirm the will of the Europeans to be around the table as also defining themselves and for themselves the terms of this arms control as far as European soil is concerned. This also implies giving us the means to act in the first place through national defense efforts and therefore not to be dispersed in expenses and missions and also to do, I would say, to focus the Alliance on the heart of the missions that are his. And so in this regard, I wanted to clarify several things. The Alliance really needs to be focused on the core of its missions. The funding that we make available is partly common funding but also our national funding and it is essential for the collective credibility of the Alliance and it is this grammar that must continue to preside over our work. France, as I recalled, is a credible and reliable ally and that is also why I first wanted to recall this principle, but to inform and explain to all of our allies the strategic decisions that we engaged in the Sahel. I had the opportunity to come back to this publicly in recent days, but which will also be the subject of close consultation between ministers, but also between our chiefs of staff of the armed forces in order to be able to coordinate. But, as I recalled, all the commitments that France has made with regard to its allies as well as to its partners in the Sahel will be kept. This clarification commitment, as I told you, will continue in the coming months between now and the French presidency of the European Union with the strategic compass, then at the October 2022 summit with regard to the strategic concept. and its revision. I will now answer your questions. »

CHINA HAS LITTLE WITH THE NORTH ATLANTIC AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA IS NOT ONLY MILITARY "PDT MACRON STATED------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q&A SESSIION QUESTION JOURNALIST : “China is widely mentioned in the final communiqué. Do you agree that China's behavior is a systemic challenge, as it is written for us Europeans? Emmanuel "----------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWER PDT MACRON : "On China, I think I can say, I reminded you that we must not confuse the objectives. NATO is a military organization. The subject of our relationship with China is not just military. NATO is an organization as far as the term explains by itself which concerns the North Atlantic. China has little to do with the North Atlantic, except incursion when there is one. And so I think it is very important not to disperse ourselves and not to bias the relationship with China. It is much broader than the military subject. It is economic, it is strategic, it is values, it is technological and not to entertain, in a way NATO which already has a lot of challenges when we see the subjects we have to deal with: the terrorist question, the security architecture with Russia, our neighborhoods. And I think we have to embrace the relationship with China in a much broader way, as we did during the G7. And China, I had the opportunity to say it: China is a great power with which we work on global issues, where we move forward together. The climate, for example, the issues of financing for development on which we have succeeded in making progress in the G20, on the ACT-A initiative or the financing of African economies. And so, there is an agenda which has produced effects in recent years. It is then a competitor on the economic level, of which we expect that he will fully respect the rules, which he has freely consented to respect in principle by joining in particular the World Trade Organization, and therefore while fully respecting intellectual property and the rules of reciprocity. And then, it is a power with which we have disagreements of values ??when it comes to forced labor or when it comes to human rights. This is the specter of the relationship with China. Then, in other geographical areas, with others who are not present around the table, we have a strategy, it is the Indo-Pacific strategy that I had the opportunity to present in spring 2018, which was then followed by our European allies, which allows us to advance and preserve the freedom of sovereignty in the Indo-Pacific space. But it would be paradoxical if not having - with the exception of the United States, which is also looking at the peaceful side - having no Indo-Pacific powers around the table, we could decide the fate of the latter. I think this is the wrong frame. This is the Chinese subject, and so I think the formula is partly correct. But I think it should not distract us from the heart of NATO's work."

"I INVITED THE PDT BIDEN AND SOUTH AFRICAN RAMAPHOSA TO JOIN US IN THE SAHEL WITH EVEN SMALL MEMBERSHIP WORKFORCE" PDT MACRON ANNOUNCED------------------------------------------------------------ QUESTION JOURNALIST JEROME: JEROME RIVET AFP : " During your meeting with President ERDOGAN, did you receive any concrete assurances, in particular on the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Libya? And besides, have you had any offers of service to either the G7 or NATO, from new countries, to participate in the Takuba force in the Sahel? ANSWER PDT MACRON :"So on the Takuba force in the Sahel, we have, as you know, there are 10 of us today to participate, the Minister of Foreign Affairs himself visited Africa in recent days and we had discussions with several African partners to join us. And during the discussions I had with President RAMAPHOSA, as with President BIDEN, I obviously invited them to join us with even limited numbers. So things continue and I think that first we have to organize the precision work of the maneuver by the end of June, then be able to expose it and consolidate the new partners. As I told you, there are already 10 of us and I think that today especially, we have, given the strategic choice that is ours and the maneuver that I have started to explain, consolidated these partnerships, which is for me is a very important thing. And I am hopeful that we will continue to expand them both with European and allied partners, and on the other hand, with several African partners, which is an important component of Takuba's credibility. We discussed the Libyan subject with President ERDOGAN, and I believe that we have found the clear points of convergence to, on the one hand, preserve the ceasefire, on the other hand, to keep the election objectives to the December 24, and therefore truly support the government and the President and the Vice-President today in this work. And finally, in the summer, to work together on the withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries, as a first step. I think this is an important step forward and together we have agreed to work together. "

"THERE WAS UNANIMOUSLY IN DEFENDING STRATEGIC AUTONOMY WITH THE RECOGNITION OF THE NATO SG AND PDT BIDEN: THAT IS ENOUGH"---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTION JOURNALIST RYM MOMTAZ POLITICO: " It seems that there is a pronounced disagreement between you and your friend Mark RUTTE on the question which is close to your heart of European strategic autonomy. Could you tell us a little more? Does it send the wrong message perhaps, if, between friends, you cannot always agree on this subject? Just a clarification on Turkey, did you get President ERDOGAN to withdraw the Syrian mercenaries by July, July 1? Thank you. ANSWER PRESIDENT MACRON : “On the first question, it is up to Prime Minister RUTTE to clarify his thinking. I noted that there was a full agreement with Chancellor Angela MERKEL, Prime Minister Mario DRAGHI, President of the Council Pedro SANCHEZ, President-in-Office of the Council of the European Union, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio COSTA, so I think there was almost unanimity around the table to defend strategic autonomy, its coherence and its contribution to NATO. But above all, there is the recognition of it in the text of the declaration and there is the recognition of it by the Secretary General of NATO and by President BIDEN. In the end, that's enough for me because it means that we have already managed to pass this step which was crucial. Then, as I said with President ERDOGAN, we agreed to work together for this withdrawal. It does not depend entirely on the two of us, but I can tell you that President ERDOGAN confirmed in the interview that we had together his desire that the mercenaries and militias from abroad who operate on Libyan soil can leave this one as quickly as possible, and its willingness to work on it together. And I wish I could work on it with him in the coming weeks. I will maybe take two last questions ”

QUESTION JOURNALIST MATHIEU COACH BFM TV- RAHMA RACHDI USPA: « Good evening, Mr. President. Mathieu COACHE, BFMTV. Two questions that we ask with my colleague Rahma RACHDI, USPA, on cybersecurity. Do you support the use of Article 5 in the event of cyber attacks, which could have the effect of isolating Russia and China, which the Americans regularly blame for these attacks? Does this fight against cyber attacks aim to protect citizens within the framework of the effective multilateralism that you defend? »----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWER PRESIDENT MACRON : “So I think you have to be - you have to distinguish two things. It is necessary to distinguish the framework of article 5 and what it implies, which is in fact, today which deals with relations with the Government, with the destabilization, with the threat which are posed against the integrity of a Government. , the security of a Member State. And so, for that to happen, a cyber attack would have to be such as to be characterized as a threat to a country or a government. I think the question arises today, it is also part of the work we have undertaken in the context of strategic clarification. This is why your question is very relevant and it will be clarified in the coming months. "So explained President Macron. And I want to distinguish here, compared to the second component, the fact that a cyber attack on such and such a person, on such and such a structure does not necessarily characterize a cyber attack against the sovereignty of a country or does not necessarily threaten the security of a country. And so, before that, we must develop ways and means to protect ourselves and our fellow citizens, our most sensitive structures. This is why, first of all, within the framework of our strategic review and the military programming law, we have developed defensive and offensive capacities, that we have also developed civilian capacities to fight against cyber attacks - capacities moreover, which we have activated in recent months when, as you know, several hospitals have been attacked - and that we also need to clarify among allies our allocation strategies and our response strategies. I say this because very often it is not states that attack, it is private actors and mafia entities. And so, you can see that we are entering a world where the award criteria are changing, where the link with governments is no longer the same. And therefore, a series of clarifications and rules of conduct are to be defined. So the subject you are talking about is a subject for NATO which is at the heart of the mission and which is really at the heart of its business. We will have to clarify them in the coming months. Besides that, we have developed our own capacities and therefore we are responding to them. And finally, there is a part of your second question which invited me to go that far, part of what we put behind cyber attacks or destabilizations and in an area that I would describe as gray, between the civilian and the military, and does not necessarily harm the sovereignty or security of a State, but can destabilize it in its day-to-day operations, in the proper information of its fellow citizens or in its democratic life. And so, to do this, we are continuing to work, to strengthen our framework of control and protection of our democratic rules to be able to protect the good information of our citizens, to be able to protect ourselves against these cyber attacks, in particular by time of electoral campaign and democratic life, and build this framework. There is national work on this which is being done and which will lead to decisions, which have moreover already started, with the particular involvement of ANSSI. There is work at European level which is carried by the Commission, which is reflected in the texts that it has started to carry, which will continue to be declined. And I remind you of the proposal that France made on this subject for an agency to protect our democratic life against cyber attacks and in particular the intergovernmental work that we have launched with our partners in the Baltic States on this subject. And finally, there is international work which, there, partly joins the so-called Christchurch agenda and the Christchurch call, where we indeed want to protect our fellow citizens from hate speech online, etc. but also manipulation and use of social networks by public or private structures seeking to destabilize democracies. "

FRANCE'S POLICY IS NOT TO TACKLE RELIGION AS MANY MILLION OF OUR COUNTRIES BELIEVE IN ISLAM AND PRACTICE DAILY " PDT MACRON EXPLAINED QUESTION JOURNALIST JEFF WITTENBERG FRANCE TV: “Hello Mr. President. Beyond the international questions on which you tell us to have found convergences with President ERDOGAN, what was the climate of this meeting? Basically, he had expressed serious disagreements with the policy pursued in France, especially at the time of the discussion on separatism. And on the form, he had been insulting to you last October, which even led to the recall of our ambassador to Turkey. Did he apologize? So what was the atmosphere of this meeting? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. " ANSWER PRESIDENT MACRON : “The atmosphere of this meeting was peaceful. And without any formulated apologies, or even a few apologies being asked for on both sides, there was a clear desire to re-engage a job. The last few months have been marked by more calm in public statements and I welcome this. But we have both acknowledged that it was necessary, given the issues that are collectively ours, to do everything to be able to work together. I also provided clarifications on many subjects which could have been distorted, given rise to misunderstandings or attacks, and in particular on the question of Islam. I was able to tell President ERDOGAN very clearly that today the policy of France was not to attack a religion, that in France several million of our fellow citizens believe in Islam, practice it daily. . I would say that it is not the business of the State, that simply what is asked of them is to respect absolutely the laws and the rules of the Republic but that the Government of France, the French nation is fighting , on the one hand, against all forms of terrorism, including Islamist terrorism and, on the other hand, that we had indeed strengthened our policy of combating extremist groups who use and deform religion to get some of our people out. fellow citizens of the Republic and respect for its laws. » a ainsi exile le President Macron. The French Head of State, added: "I think that these clarifications were necessary to avoid the amalgamations which had given rise to an escalation, as you say, of violence, of conflagrations, not simply in Turkey besides, also in a number of regions where Islam is the main cult, and also used by certain other powers which did not necessarily wish France good. And so President ERDOGAN I believe heard these clarifications and also expressed the fact that the security of France, the cohesion of his society was for him an important point, in the same way that I reminded him that the respect for all religions was an important point for France. It is a path on which we can build ways of cooperation and useful actions. I think it was important to move on. So there you have it, appeasement, clarification and concrete work on humanitarian issues and humanitarian access in Syria, on the one hand, and on Libya in the terms I mentioned, on the other hand, and advanced for our compatriot, Mr. AZOULAY, which I congratulate myself on. Ladies and gentlemen, I am going back to Paris. Thank you for your attention. Thank you very much, good evening "../