Khaberni - French Foreign Minister Jean Noël Baro confirmed on Friday that Paris has the right to say «no» to the United States when they behave in an unacceptable way, warning that the European political system is «in danger», according to the «French Press Agency».
In his annual speech to French ambassadors, Baro warned that the European Union is threatened by external foes and criticized statements from Washington claiming that Europe faces the risk of «the collapse of its civilization».
European powers are striving to reconcile their priorities amid the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine for about 4 years, and coordinate their response to American foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, following the arrest of the ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Donald Trump's declaration of his intention to annex the Danish island of Greenland.
Baro said: «In recent months, the American administration has decided, and this is its right, to rethink the ties that bind us».
He added «We also have the right to say no to a historic ally, no matter its historical importance, when its proposal is unacceptable, and when we must say no».
He pointed out that «the European Union is threatened from the outside by foes trying to dismantle the solidarity bonds that unite us... and from the inside due to the exhaustion that has struck democracy».
He continued: «Let's be clear, there is nothing today that guarantees that we will continue to live within the European Union as we know it, in 10 years».
Baro's statements come after French President Emmanuel Macron's warning that the United States is «gradually abandoning» its allies and «ignoring international rules», speaking of a growing «new colonial aggressiveness» in diplomatic relations.
