Berlin: On Tuesday, The leaders of France and Germany laid out their commitment to a future joint European Army, an idea that has burst angry reactions from US President Donald Trump. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said closer defence ties agreed in a new friendship treaty aim to build a Franco-German "common military culture" and "contribute to the creation of a European army".
Here, Both Macron and Merkel have pushed the idea of a joint European Army for the bloc that would be part of the wider transatlantic NATO coalition. Macron told a forum after the signing ceremony that as "authoritarian powers are emerging everywhere ... let's build a real European army to protect ourselves and have a real foreign policy".
Trump has powerfully demanded that European NATO members, especially Germany, pay more for their joint defence but has attacked the idea of a separate European army. whereas, Late last year he mocked both of the European powers by tweeting that "it was Germany in World Wars One & Two -- How did that work out for France?" He added that "they were starting to learn German in Paris before the U.S. came along".
As a new turn, they meant as a follow-up to the 1963 Elysee Treaty, both France and Germany pledge to stand shoulder to shoulder in case of a military attack against either of them, reaffirming a commitment already written into EU and NATO treaties. Paris and Berlin will also create a new joint Defence and Security Council and seek to harmonise rules for military equipment procurement.
However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the treaty, saying that France and Germany had a day earlier briefed the alliance on its defence and security aspects. For decades, Franco-German cooperation has been essential for security and stability in Europe.
