Hollande admits that Europe too late understood that the tragedies in the Middle East and Africa also had to have consequences for Europe.
Without a political solution in Syria, we will be facing a “total war” that would also affect Europe, said the French President François Hollande, as he Wednesday met in the European Parliament together with Germany’s Angela Merkel.
It is the first time that leaders from France and Germany have come forward with a joint message in the European Parliament since François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl took the podium together in 1989.
– What is happening in Syria, will affect Europe. What happens there will determine the balance of the whole region for a long time. If we allow these religious clashes between Sunnis and Shiites to continue, they will increase in scope. Do not believe that we will be protected, this will be a total war, said Hollande.
He also stated that all players, including Russia and Iran, must find a political solution in Syria.
The message from Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel was also marked by great seriousness.
– We’re talking in a time when the EU again is faced with enormous challenges. This is a test of historic dimensions. We have not managed to prevent the war in Syria. We have not managed to stop the vacuum in Libya. It is a job for the EU and the world. We must not act nationally. We must work together. This is precisely why we need more EU, said Merkel, and called for a new common policy on asylum.
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