Macron, Tusk meet to address Europe’s security

WARSAW

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was received by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday at the Elysee Palace in Paris before traveling to Germany later in the day.

Warsaw, Paris and Berlin are seeking to close ranks in the face of growing security risks on the European continent.

The two leaders underlined their desire to open a new chapter in relations between France and Poland.

“These different subjects, which are at the heart of the Franco-Polish relationship, actually correspond to the strategic sector for the future of our continent," Macron told a joint press conference.

He emphasized the importance given by the two countries to nuclear energy cooperation and support for Ukraine.

Macron also highlighted that Paris and Warsaw shared the same belief that the development of nuclear energy could both strengthen energy security and achieve Brussels’ carbon neutrality objective by 2050.

“There is no alternative to the EU, to NATO, to transatlantic cooperation. Europe must become a safe continent, which means that the European Union, France and Poland must become strong and ready to defend their own borders, as well as to defend and support our allies and friends outside the Union,” Tusk said.

“We are rebuilding the Weimar Triangle,” he added, referring to the political cooperation platform between Germany, France and Poland created on Aug. 28, 1991.

In 1991, the foreign ministers of Germany, Poland and France met in Weimar to set up the Weimar Triangle.

The three countries wanted to extend cross-border cooperation and to identify shared main interests regarding the future of Europe.