Pierre Morcos
@morcos_pierre
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🇫🇷 Diplomat | Counselor for culture, science and education in 🇰🇷 @FranceenCoree | Previously @franceintheus , @CSIS | Opinions mine only
Seoul
Joined January 2020
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Pinned Tweet
🧵 Some personal news : after four incredible years at
@CSIS
as a visiting fellow and then at
@franceintheus
as counselor for strategic affairs, it is time for me to say goodbye to DC.
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🚨 Pres Macron just announced that 🇫🇷, together with 🇹🇷 and 🇬🇷, is planning an "exceptional humanitarian operation" to evacuate civilians from
#Mariupol
. Paris has been in contact with Mariupol's mayor and the 🇫🇷 President will discuss this issue with Putin "in the coming hours".
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My take on France's decision to recall its Ambassador to the United States. Is Paris overreacting ? The answer is no. A 🧵 on the real reasons behind the French decision.
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"I think that
#Ukraine
will win" according to French foreign minister Le Drian during a television interview yesterday. A short 🧵 on his remarks:
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Important symbol. Today, troops from Bulgaria🇧🇬, Estonia🇪🇪, Lithuania🇱🇹, Hungary🇭🇺, Latvia 🇱🇻, Poland 🇵🇱, Czech Republic 🇨🇿, Romania 🇷🇴 and Slovakia 🇸🇰 opened the
#BastilleDay
parade in Paris.
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“Against the Chinese navy, we will win if we fight together, in coalition”.
Strong statement from the 🇫🇷 chief of navy during a hearing at the French parliament on July 27.
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The French President after seeing the surcharges for international calls on his bill.
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I saw many comments explaining that the US-Australian-UK deal is the result of France preaching for European strategic autonomy ("You got what you wished for"). This is a complete misconception of France’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific. A 🧵👇
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About a hundred 🇫🇷 paratroopers have recently been deployed from France to
#Estonia
in less than 6 hours, before training with 🇪🇪 tactical units. The objective: "demonstrate France's ability to intervene at short notice, to support an ally".
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Actually the French Ambassador left the Green Zone to go to the Kabul airport, where the 🇫🇷 Embassy has been relocated, to do exactly the same thing: evacuate French citizens and provide visas for Afghans (notably human rights defenders and journalists).
Meanwhile the British ambassador is at Kabul airport doing something useful: stamping visas for Afghans who supported allied nations these last 20 years, per UK diplomat
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"We see today that the Russian armed forces are not that ready to carry out high-intensity operations", according to the French chief of defense staff General Burkhard (
@CEMA_FR
) in a fascinating conversation with
@StaciePettyjohn
from
@CNAS
. A 🧵 on his remarks:
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[Thread] Today, the EU took the groundbreaking decision to deliver *lethal* equipment to the 🇺🇦 military, through the European Peace Facility. A 🧵 on what this facility is and why this decision is a game-changer for the 🇪🇺 👇
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Source: his press conference after the European Council
EN DIRECT | Depuis Bruxelles, conférence de presse à l'issue du Conseil européen.
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[Thread] NATO Secretary General
@jensstoltenberg
just confirmed that allies agreed to deploy elements of the NATO Response Force, including the
#VJTF
currently led by 🇫🇷. A 🧵 to explain what the
#VJTF
is:
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President Macron declared today that France and Europeans will need to get prepared for a "wartime economy", which will require then to "invest more" and "act faster" to "recapitalize their armed forces" and "assist their partners", chief among them being
#Ukraine
.
EN DIRECT | Le Président
@EmmanuelMacron
inaugure le salon Eurosatory 2022, évènement mondial de la Défense et de la Sécurité terrestres et aéroterrestres.
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According to
@MichaelaWiegel
in this
@faznet
piece, the Elysée is open to a revision of the 1997 NATO-Russia founding act "in the event of a Russian attack". This would entail the "deployment of missile systems [...] on the eastern flank" of NATO.
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This itw of Pres Macron ahead of his trip to Moscow has triggered many concerns. While these concerns are legitimate given the issue at stake, they are based on an incomplete/biased translation by Politico. A 🧵 on what the 🇫🇷 President actually said 👇
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Regarding the United Kingdom, "recalling our Ambassador to London was not necessary because we already know that the British government is in a logic of permanent opportunism".
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« Les soldats français [sont] les plus sollicités au monde, combattants nomades sautant en permanence d’un point à l’autre du globe dans une sorte de guerre mondiale en miettes au service des intérêts de la France »
Le dernier livre de
@Michel_Goya
est brillant.
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Guess where this photo was taken?
Not at NATO headquarters but at the 🇪🇺 foreign affairs council. Transatlantic unity in action.
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Let's hope that the Biden administration will understand that its decision to negotiate in secret a partnership at the expense of a key ally was a bad call and will have lasting effects on its relation with France. [End]
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#NATO
| Latest map of France's contribution to Europe's security. Strong military commitment on land, at sea and in the air.
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Ce jeudi 2 juin, comme nombre de mes collègues, je ferai grève contre la suppression du corps diplomatique. Réflexe corporatiste? Non. Un fil pour expliquer la réalité de notre métier.
#diplo2metier
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This is not about France's bruised ego. Nor only about a cancelled armament contract. This is about **trust** between supposed "oldest" allies.
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🚨 French interior minister just revealed a counter-espionage operation against
#Russian
clandestine agents based in
#France
and "acting against our interests". The operation was carried out by the 🇫🇷 intelligence agency DGSI. The 🇷🇺 agents will have to leave the 🇫🇷 territory.
Remarquable opération de contre-espionnage. Bravo aux agents de la DGSI qui ont entravé un réseau d'agents clandestins russes qui œuvraient contre nos intérêts. Les agents impliqués devront quitter le territoire national. Dans l'ombre, la DGSI veille sur nos intérêts fondamentaux
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[Thread] The EU member states have adopted today the
#StrategicCompass
. A long 🧵 on this important 🇪🇺 document:
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This is entirely false. The transcript of the itw clearly shows that Pres Zelensky was not explicitly speaking of the 🇫🇷 President. More importantly, Pres Macron has always been cristal clear that it is up to the 🇺🇦 to decide the terms of their negotiations with the 🇷🇺.
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I’ll stop there. In these hard times, it is normal to be demanding with one another. But many criticisms addressed to France are rooted in preconceived ideas, and do not reflect the reality of France’s positions and actions. [End]
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Some initial thoughts on the 🇦🇺🇬🇧🇺🇸 security agreement which will notably help Australia to pursue nuclear-powered submarines.
While Paris has not formally reacted yet, needless to say that this decision will be seen as a major blow for France. A 🧵👇
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This is a true breach of trust. U.S. behavior is seen in Paris as unilateral and brutal. A reminiscence of the Trump administration.
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2/ "President Macron should stop calling Putin": the 🇫🇷 President is often criticized for his telephone diplomacy with Moscow. But it is often forgotten that President Zelensky himself is asking for preserving this channel of communication as Putin is refusing to talk to him.
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Today, 🇫🇷 fighter jets have been deployed in
#Estonia
to conduct air policing missions for the Baltic States. Bellow a graph from
@EtatMajorFR
explaining this additional 🇫🇷 contribution to NATO deterrence and defense posture.
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The US-UK-Australian partnership was months in the making. Washington was an active player in this new alliance and deliberately conceal from Paris these discussions, even though it knew it directly affected French national interests.
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🧵 International reactions to President Macron’s re-election.
1. 🇪🇺
Cher
@EmmanuelMacron
, toutes mes félicitations pour votre réélection à la présidence de la République.
Je me réjouis de pouvoir continuer notre excellente coopération.
Ensemble, nous ferons avancer la France et l’Europe.
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Bit awkward when the graph does not include EU’s support to Ukraine: €550 million of humanitarian aid, €1.2 billion of macro-financial assistance (+ €2 billion from the EIB) and €1.5 billion of military assistance.
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Besides, every call has been closely coordinated with Pres Zelensky. The 🇫🇷 Pres. has never discussed anything with Putin without Pres Zelensky's consent. This diplomatic effort has been praised by the 🇫🇮 President who is also in contact with Putin.
An important conversation with President
@EmmanuelMacron
on the war in Ukraine. I gave my full support to President Macron’s efforts to stop Russia’s warfare.
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The only way to ensure that Washington understand the gravity of this crisis was to make this diplomatic move. Communiqués were not enough. And mild reassurances from the U.S. administration neither.
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AUKUS revealed many misunderstandings about France's approach to China. In my latest piece for
@WarOnTheRocks
, I try to explain why and how Paris has changed and hardened its attitude toward Beijing.
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"President Biden's method resembles that of President Trump without the tweets. The United States is refocusing its core interests. There is a link in this respect with the crisis in Afghanistan".
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Personal news! After two amazing years as a visiting fellow at
@CSIS
, it is already time for me to say goodbye to this wonderful institution. I am not leaving DC though since I’m joining the fantastic team at the French Embassy (
@franceintheus
) for a new adventure.
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🇫🇷 Ambassador to the UN: "At this moment, Russian missiles are killing civilians, bombing cities, destroying essential infrastructure with the sole purpose of vassalizing Ukraine. No member of this Council supports Russia. The result of today's vote is clear: Russia is alone."
A cet instant, les missiles russes tuent des civils, bombardent des villes, détruisent des infrastructures essentielles dans le seul but de vassaliser l’Ukraine.
Le résultat du vote de ce jour est clair : la Russie est seule.
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"I think Ukraine will win. Because Russia is completely isolated. Because we have taken considerable sanctions. The price for this war is going to become unbearable. President Putin is going to be faced with the choice between accepting that price or opening negotiations."
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Now, we should remain cool-headed. Paris is not breaking its diplomatic ties with Washington. Nor France is expelling U.S. diplomats. France already took similar decisions in the past (with Italy in 2019 or Turkey in 2020) to send a cristal clear signal.
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Over the past few months, French officials at the highest level raised the question of the 🇦🇺🇫🇷 submarine contract with the Biden administration which reassured Paris on this issue.
From FR high-level diplo - TIMELINE OF FR/US contacts:
#AUSUK
June 25 (10 days after Morrison in Paris): Blinken in Paris, meets with Le Drian and Macron
Both raise Q of France’s role in the IndoPacific and say the submarine contract with AUS is a critical component of it.
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🚨 French Foreign minister
@JY_LeDrian
just gave a public interview with
@Francetele
on the ongoing diplomatic crisis with Washington, Canberra and London. Very strong words again. A 🧵 on the main takeaways 👇
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But at the end of the day, Paris was presented with a fait accompli and learned from media that a crucial partnership for its Indo-Pacific strategy was now a thing of the past.
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"Russia is pleading for humanitarian corridors to Russia. This is hypocrisy, an artifact of communication that I condemn. This is moral and political cynicism that I cannot bear."
Strong words of President Macron on French national television today.
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French DoD revealed today some initial details about the upcoming deployment of the 🇫🇷 carrier strike group in the Mediterranean Sea (operation
#Clemenceau22
) starting next month. A 🧵 👇
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Paris has been a driving force in the international efforts to investigate and prosecute possible war crimes committed by the 🇷🇺 military, to impose a massive economic cost on the Russian economy and oligarchs and to isolate Russia on the global stage.
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Quite a telling graph on the delivery of military equipment to
#Ukraine
by 🇫🇷, 🇵🇱, 🇬🇧 and 🇩🇪 from 2014 to 2020. France far ahead with 1.6 bn € worth of equipment (targeting systems, equipment for navy, ammunitions, transport helicopters, reconnaissance drones, ...).
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"Moldova is a fragile country in this context. The refugees it hosts already represent 10% of its population. The siege of Odessa would lead to an even greater flow of refugees. Moldova will have to be helped very significantly."
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"France provides military equipment to Ukraine, in number and quality," but will not give details. "We know the practice of the Russians on these matters, especially in Syria, and it would be absurd to give details that would help the 🇷🇺 army to organize itself accordingly."
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“We are witnessing a trend of naval rearmament unprecedented since WWII. By 2030, the tonnage of the 🇨🇳 navy will be 2.5 times that of the 🇺🇸 navy, which, despite its efforts, will remain stable or even continue to shrink, while the Chinese fleet grows”.
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3/ "France is not doing its fair share to assist Ukraine": since the beginning of the invasion, France has delivered weapons to Ukraine, including long-range artillery (Caesar self-propelled howitzers), and has trained 🇺🇦 soldiers on its soil.
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1/ "France is pushing Ukraine to compromise": this controversy started from an interview given by President Zelensky to the Italian press. A quote from the 🇺🇦 leader was misleadingly reported, giving the false impression that President Macron urged him to cede territory.
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This criticism is also missing the larger picture: 🇪🇺 €2 billion military assistance to 🇺🇦 though the European Peace Facility. 🇫🇷 not only is one of the largest contributor to the EPF but has also been a big proponent for its creation in the first place.
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See for instance his speech to the European Parliament: "As Europeans, we are working for the preservation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is up to Ukraine to define the conditions for negotiations with Russia."
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This is an important message. In addition to the adoption of massive economic sanctions, Paris is signaling that a Russian aggression would also impact the strategic environment of Moscow (reinforcement of NATO's military posture).
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1) This call was done after consulting with 🇺🇦 President Zelensky.
2) Its goal was to send clear and firm messages to the Russian President, by demanding an immediate end to 🇷🇺 military operations and stressing the massive sanctions already adopted.
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France is also providing substantial humanitarian support and financial aid (€2 billion) to Ukraine.
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🚨It’s now official: President Biden will host President
#Macron
for a State Visit to the United States on December 1st. First State Visit of the Biden-Harris Administration. A unique opportunity to deepen even further 🇫🇷🇺🇸 cooperation.
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In a nutshell, Pres Macron is not going to Moscow to grant "concessions" to Putin at the expense of NATO Allies. His immediate goal is to engage with Putin to lower tensions & prevent an escalation. Other leaders (🇺🇸 President, 🇬🇧 PM) have done the same.
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Noteworthy joint exercise between the 🇫🇷 and 🇹🇷 navies in the East Med. After years of tensions, the war in Ukraine has led to a diplomatic and military rapprochement between France and Turkey.
#CLEMENCEAU
| Déployée au sein du
@French_CSG
, la FREMM Auvergne a conduit des exercices conjoints avec la frégate anti-aérienne 🇹🇷 TCG Giresun. Une nouvelle occasion de renforcer la
#coop
ération entre deux marines alliées en
#M
éditerranée orientale.
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[Thread] NATO’s new strategic concept is out. Let’s unpack it. A 🧵:
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Decisions taken by President Macron after today’s meeting of the 🇫🇷 security and defense council:
- Agreement on additional 🇪🇺 sanctions
- Delivery of new defensive weapons to 🇺🇦 (+fuel)
- National sanctions against 🇷🇺 oligarchs (asset freezing)
- Measures to fight 🇷🇺 propaganda.
PARIS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - France will send defensive weapons and fuel to Ukraine, the French presidential office said on Saturday, adding that the country would also take action against Russian media and influencers spreading misinformation about the Ukraine war.
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"Our support to Ukraine is very strong but we cannot become co-belligerent. This is the thin thread we are walking on. So, we have to provide weapons to Ukraine but in a reasonable way and a mastered level of visibility. We should not communicate too much about this."
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Very useful map from the 🇫🇷 DoD showing France’s robust contribution to
#NATO
’s deterrence and defense posture on land, at sea, and in the air 👇
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That is why, France is in favor of starting Ukraine’s integration to the EU *in parallel* (not in substitute) of the accession process, through a "political community". Important steps are already prepared, notably on the access to the European market.
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🚨 France has just decided to “expel numerous
#Russian
personnel with diplomatic status”, whose activities are “contrary to 🇫🇷 security interests.” This decision is part of an “European effort”.
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4/ "France is against Ukraine’s membership to the EU": Again, Pres Macron has been very clear: 🇫🇷 is in favor of "quickly" giving the candidate status to 🇺🇦. But, he also underlined a basic fact: accession negotiations can be long (years if not decades).
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Humm … I have gained 1000 followers since Wednesday evening. I wonder why 🤔
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5/ "France’s dream of European strategic autonomy is now dead": the war in 🇺🇦 has rejuvenated NATO and its collective defense mission. France has long acknowledged that reality and recently decided to substantially increased its contribution to NATO’s military posture.
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Thrilled to publish my first piece for
@WarOnTheRocks
on the Franco-Australian partnership. I argue that the strategic rapprochement between Paris and Canberra can help stabilize the Indo-Pacific and explore the potential for deeper 🇫🇷🇦🇺🇺🇸 cooperation.
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8/ This is an unprecedented move as it is the first time that NATO activates its defense plans and deploys the VJTF in a collective defense role.
This deployment is also a strong signal of 🇫🇷 commitment to NATO deterrence and defense posture. [End]
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“We must seek, in cooperation with our allies, what we lack in order to achieve critical mass. To do this, we must continue to develop the interoperability of our systems. We must prepare our capacity to fight together.”
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"I do not understand the logic of this agreement [...] It illustrates Australia's willingness to be a surrogate for the United States and to abandon its sovereignty".
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Interesting piece in
@lemondefr
on 🇫🇷 ongoing effort to speed up its defense production capacity in the context of the war in 🇺🇦. France is notably considering adopting a legislation to mobilize civilian companies, or materials, for military purposes.
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The French chief of defense concluded by explaining that the war in Ukraine proves that the collective defense of Europe is first and foremost based on NATO but also requires stronger investment from Europeans in their own capabilities to reinforce the alliance.
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This has triggered a very interesting debate on the notion of "humiliation" and what History tells us about it. I won’t expand on this but would like to underline that France is not trying to "accommodate" the 🇷🇺 regime in the hope of finding a diplomatic solution to the war.
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The French ministry of defense has released a footage of an interaction between a 🇫🇷 frigate, currently sailing through the South China Sea, and the 🇨🇳 navy. The frigate has been regularly followed by 🇨🇳 vessels.
#FAPF
| A partir du 18/02, le Vendémiaire patrouille en mer de Chine. Au cours de sa mission de présence et de surveillance, ce bâtiment de la Marine nationale a fait l’objet d’interactions professionnelles par des bâtiments de la marine chinoise.
@MarineNationale
@Armees_Gouv
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France has never tried to deny, or undermine, NATO’s critical contribution to our collective security. On the contrary, France is pragmatically pushing for greater European responsibilities, leveraging every tool available (EU, NATO, bilateral or multilateral cooperations).
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In short, the EU has taken another major decision tonight to support 🇺🇦. Day after day, amid an unprecedented crisis, the 🇪🇺 and its member states are overcoming long-standing taboos on defense and are determined to fully use the tools they created over the last few years. [End]
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Now, all this progressive but major convergence is jeopardized because of opportunist and short-sighted calculations. [End]
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One final and essential point, France has *never* seen itself as equidistant between Washington and Beijing. Paris considers the 🇺🇸 as its ally while China is defined in the French strategic review as a "systemic rival, an economic competitor and sometimes a diplomatic partner".
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France never excluded the US from its strategy in the Indo-Pacific. Quite the opposite. Over the past year, the 🇫🇷and 🇺🇸 military intensified their cooperation in the region. The US industry was part of the 🇫🇷🇦🇺 submarine project. So, no France wasn’t wishing for this rupture.
Macron said France didn't think it wise to "join all together against China" and that he wanted "strategic autonomy." Well, now you got what you wished for, so what are you complaining about.
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France’s
#nuclear
deterrence posture has a sea-based component (submarines) *and* an air-based component. Today, the 🇫🇷 armed forces successfully tested a new version of its medium-range air-to-ground missile (ASMPA) which can carry nuclear warheads.
📢 Succès du tir de qualification du missile stratégique air-sol moyenne portée amélioré (ASMPA) rénové, dépourvu de sa charge militaire le 23/03/2022.⤵️1/3
#NotreD
éfense
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As France is taking over the presidency of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), here is a map of the French navy footprint and priorities in the region.
Source:
@MarineNationale
; translation of the legend by yours truly.
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[Thread] French defense minister
@florence_parly
and the Chief of defense staff just presented 🇫🇷 first "seabed defense strategy". A 🧵 on this pioneering document 👇
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