French President reaffirms commitment to strengthening cooperation with Germany

Paris, July 17 (KUNA) -- French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed his commitment to strengthening cooperation with Germany during his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Friday. Macron stated on his personal account on the social media platform X, “The Franco-German Council of Ministers, which we are chairing today with Chancellor Merz in Germany, should enable us to enhance our competitiveness, security, defense, and the resilience of our democracies.” He emphasized that “Franco-German coordination is more necessary than ever to implement our sovereignty agenda in the service of our peoples and Europe.”

For his part, Chancellor Merz said, “Germany and France are closer to each other than ever before, and we take our responsibility toward Europe seriously,” adding his commitment to working with President Macron to “make our countries secure and economically strong.”

The two sides had discussed ways to bolster defense and security cooperation between their countries in Bergisch Gladbach on Thursday, ahead of today’s session of the Franco-German Council of Ministers, which will also address ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy and European policy.

President Macron’s visit follows a recent trip by Chancellor Merz to Paris, amid growing challenges for Europe to strengthen its defense capabilities amid declining confidence in relying entirely on the United States as a security partner. (End) M.B. / A.M.S.