The phone call between Macron and Biden revealed “a great convergence of views”

Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden exchanged by phone on the evening of Sunday, January 24. And the two presidents “noted a great convergence of views” on major international issues, in particular to fight against Covid-19 “within the framework of the WHO” and on the climate after the return of the United States to the United States. ‘Paris Agreement, according to the Elysee. For this first meeting since the entry into office of the American president, the two heads of state also confirmed “their will to act together for peace in the Near and Middle East, in particular on the Iranian nuclear issue”, the presidency specified in a press release.

This “friendly and working conversation” was held in English for an hour, said the entourage of the French president to Agence France-Presse. For its part, the White House indicated that Joe Biden had affirmed to Emmanuel Macron “his desire to strengthen bilateral ties” with France, “our oldest ally”, but also “the transatlantic relationship” by “through NATO and the partnership of the United States with the European Union ”.

A “very close contact” in the coming weeks

Emmanuel Macron welcomed Wednesday, the day of the inauguration of Joe Biden, Washington’s decision to reinstate the Paris agreement on the climate and the World Health Organization (WHO), signaling his return to multilateral institutions after four years of frenzied unilateralism under President Donald Trump. The two leaders agreed on the need to coordinate on “common challenges such as climate change, Covid-19 and the recovery of the world economy,” according to the White House press release. “They also agreed to work together on shared priorities in foreign policy, particularly on China, the Middle East, Russia and the Sahel,” he said.

On all these subjects, the two presidents “have agreed to stay in very close contact in the coming weeks”, according to the Elysee, even if no physical meeting can be fixed for the moment because of the Covid-19 crisis. Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden spoke for the first time on November 10, after the election of the President of the United States. But Emmanuel Macron, who came to power in 2017, has never met Joe Biden who was Barack Obama’s vice-president between 2009 and 2017.

The Elysee Palace said Sunday that the French president had been “sensitive” to the reference to the French origins of Joe Biden, who was sworn in on a family heritage, a Douai Bible more than 400 years old. Since arriving at the White House, Joe Biden has already met with Canadian Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and British Prime Ministers Boris Johnson.


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