(Washington) On Friday, US President Joe Biden affirmed his commitment to the transatlantic alliance, accusing Moscow of “attacking” Western democracies in his first major foreign policy speech to its European partners.
On her part, Angela Merkel welcomed the “strengthening of pluralism” at the conclusion of the G7 virtual summit, the first in the presence of the new US president.
Noting his predecessor, Donald Trump, on his rise to power, Joe Biden promised the United States a “return” to the international stage.
Keen to restore transatlantic relations, he participated in the Group of Seven on Friday, then via a video conference alongside German Chancellor and Emmanuel Macron, at the Munich Conference, which is an annual meeting that brings together heads of state, diplomats and security professionals.
“I speak to you today as President of the United States, at the beginning of my administration, and send a clear message to the world: The United States is back. The transatlantic alliance is back,” declared 46H President of the United States from the White House.
On the other hand, the Democrat affirmed his commitment to fighting climate change, “a global existential crisis,” and called for combating “China’s economic violations.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his concerns about Beijing’s role: “The rise of China is a crucial issue for the transatlantic community, and it has potential consequences for our security, prosperity and lifestyle,” he warned in his speech at the Munich conference.
Joe Biden also said that the United States should respond to Iran’s “destabilizing activities” in the Middle East, without mentioning them in detail. In the same speech, the US President affirmed Washington’s desire to re-launch the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement by involving all signatories, including Iran.
The need for a “strong” European Union
Speaking to European partners abused by the United States under Donald Trump, his successor accused Russia of “attacking our democracies” and said he was determined to “restore” Europe’s confidence.
He accused Russian President Vladimir of “Putin seeking to weaken the European project and our NATO alliance.”
[Vladimir Poutine] He wants to sabotage transatlantic unity and our resolve, because it is easier for the Kremlin to intimidate and threaten nations alone than negotiate with a strong and united transatlantic community.
Joe Biden
“It’s not about pitting the East against the West,” Biden said. “We cannot and must not return […] To the frozen cold war blocs. ”
Former Vice President Barack Obama warned that “the progress of democracy is under attack in too many places, including in Europe and the United States.” “We are at a critical moment.”
He insisted that in the face of the advance of populism, “we must absolutely prove that our democracies can still benefit our people.”
“We are at the center of a fundamental debate about the future course of our world. Among those who argue that, given all the challenges we face from the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the global pandemic, authoritarianism is the best way forward, and those who recognize that democracy is necessary to respond to these challenges,” he continued. Joe Biden.
“Democracy does not happen by chance. We must defend it, strengthen it and renew it.”
Angela Merkel welcomed this declared “return” of the United States to the heart of international alliances.
BPA Image via Reuters
Angela Merkel attended the Munich Conference of the Chancellery in Berlin.
“Multilateralism will once again have greater opportunities within the Group of Seven,” he told a press conference after this summit of the Seven Great Powers.
At the Munich conference, M.I am Merkel also stressed the need for a “strong” European Union, noting that “Russia is not working on that now.”
In the face of “China asserting itself more and more” on the economic level and Russia “more and more provocative,” “it is up to us, the United States and Europe, to strengthen our cooperation again,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a separate intervention.