French president rejects international order based on 'overlord-vassal' relationship

ISTANBUL

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that he does not believe in an international order based on an "overlord-vassal" relationship.

"I want to avoid an international fracture, and I do not believe in an international order that boils down to a suzerain–vassal relationship," Macron told reporters during his visit to India.

When asked whether he suspects “a kind of power struggle with the Americans,” Macron disagreed, stressing that he “fully embraces” a vision of independent diplomacy that believes in sovereignty, respect, and multilateralism.

Macron asks Italian premier to stop commenting on other countries

Macron also responded to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's remarks on US social media company X, in which she denounced the killing of nationalist activist Quentin Deranque, who died on Saturday after being severely beaten during clashes between far-left and far-right groups in Lyon, France. She described his death as a "wound to the whole of Europe."

Macron, then, called on Meloni to stop “commenting on what is happening in other countries," according to broadcaster BFMTV.

“Let everyone stay at home, and the sheep will be well guarded,” he added.

Eleven people have been arrested as part of a criminal investigation on charges of “intentional homicide” over Deranque’s death, which some have blamed on the left-wing La France Insoumise party for bearing “moral responsibility.”

Macron reaffirmed that he is being "extremely cautious" as the investigation is ongoing.

"No group that engages in violence has any legitimacy in the Republic, and I say this very firmly," he further noted.