ANKARA

European countries’ national interests are “indexed on the temperature in the Middle East,” the French foreign minister said Thursday.

In a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland, Jean-Noel Barrot said that Europe’s foreign policy is not always “exactly aligned” with US policy, which “does not prevent” them from working together.

“Why do European countries care about what is happening in the Middle East, about the temperature in the Middle East? Well, because our national interests are indexed on the temperature in the Middle East,” Barrot explained and stressed that this was due to two key issues, namely terrorism and migration that both affected France particularly.

Minister Barrot emphasized that France was “willing to participate, whether it is Gaza, Lebanon or Syria, in the reconstruction of those countries, and to consolidate the political solutions.”

He said Paris was “already working with Saudi Arabia and partners from the region ahead of the UN International Conference that will be held in June of 2025 in New York, and co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.”

Minister Barrot reiterated that France delays recognizing the state of Palestine, which, according to France, “needs to come at a time when, indeed, we get closer to the draft of a two-state solution with mutual recognition and security guarantee.”  

Iran’s nuclear program

The French minister also noted that Iran’s nuclear program would “generate massive security issues for Europe and the rest of the world,” as well as “direct security concern for some European countries.”

He voiced hope that there would be discussions about this program, which would be “the rational approach.

He said: “Because if it is not going to be a negotiation incorporating nuclear program, ballistic program, and regional aspects, then what is the alternative? 

"The alternative is back to brute force, and brute force is unlikely to generate any positive solutions, either for the region, for Iran themselves, but even for us, Europe, and the US, because it is unlikely that we can sort all the problems caused by this nuclear and ballistic program by brute force only."