German Chancellor and French President discuss strengthening defense and security cooperation

Berlin, July 16 (KUNA) -- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday to explore ways to strengthen defense and security cooperation between their two countries. The German government said in a statement that the discussions, held during a meeting in Bergisch Gladbach, precede the German-French Council of Ministers meeting scheduled for Friday and aim to enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of defense, economy, and European policy. The statement noted that both today’s meeting and tomorrow’s ministerial council would focus on European defense files, the military industry, artificial intelligence, drones, and the development of air defense systems. The German government confirmed that the two meetings also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in nuclear deterrence, in an effort to demonstrate that the EU’s two major defense powers can continue to work together despite disagreements over some joint armament projects. These meetings follow the German chancellor’s recent visit to Paris and come as Europe faces growing challenges to bolster its defense capabilities amid declining European confidence in relying entirely on the United States as a security partner. (End)