ANGELA MERKEL: It is time for Europe to "take over the fate in its own hands" because it can no longer rely on the protection of the United States.

Europe can no longer count on the United States in defense and must take matters into its own hands, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, who also said: "Something needs to be done"

"It's no longer the case that the United States simply protects us," Merkel said in a speech to President Macron, who came to Aachen to receive the prestigious Charlemagne Prize.After applause, Merkel said: "Instead, Europe must take its fate into its own hands. It's a task for the future. "Europe must "act together and speak with one voice" - she said, according to German daily Die Welt. "But let's be honest: Europe is still at the beginning in relation to a common foreign policy."

Speaking behind Chancellor Merkel, Macron said that "We should not wait, we have to do something now. Let's not be weak, "added the French president.Last year, Merkel issued a similar statement, urging Europe to become less dependent on its transatlantic ally."The time in which we can totally depend on others is on the way. I've experienced it in the last few days, "she told the crowd the day after she attended the G7 summit in Italy.

The German Chancellor, who won her fourth term earlier this year, reiterated that Europeans "must really take their fate in their own hands, of course in friendship with the United States, in friendship with the United Kingdom, with good neighborly relations, wherever possible with Russia and others countries. "However, countries within the EU "must know that we must fight for our future and our fate as Europeans."

Merkelic's statement comes shortly after US President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear agreement, prompting the disapproval of the agreement's members, including Germany. Germany's Chancellor said on Wednesday: "We will remain committed to this agreement and we will do everything to ensure that Iran respects its obligations."While Merkel openly criticized Trump, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas had previously accused the US leaders of "insignificantly rejecting efforts to bring stability to the region." Describing Trump's decision as "incomprehensible", Maas said that the move would jeopardize confidence in international treaties.

On Thursday, he reiterated that it is crucial that Iran respects its obligations to the international nuclear agreement, and that Moscow should use its influence over Tehran in this regard.

Speaking after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Maas also said that Berlin and Moscow agreed that the Iranian nuclear agreement should continue.

Moscow recently said it believed there were ways to guarantee continued co-operation between Iran and other parties to the dispute, despite Washington's attempts to disrupt everything. "There are resources to guarantee that this cooperation will continue despite attempts to prevent it," said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

• 12 May, 2018
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