In Prague, Macron continued his diplomatic activism. The next meeting will be held in Moldova in the spring. “At the scale of the continent, we’re trying to fix problems,” he said. It is very useful for us, an ideal opportunity to have good meetings, to find out some things,” he told reporters.Īt a news conference, Macron said the meeting had sent a “powerful” message. “We gathered to show that we belong to Europe. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, whose country is an EU candidate but maintains relations with Russia and refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow, still voiced support Thursday for the initiative. Macron and other EU leaders insisted it is not a substitute for the membership process, which is to be handled in separate discussions. Some countries that have been candidates for years to get into the bloc, especially in the Western Balkans, had feared the new forum would be a way to put them in the EU waiting room for an indefinite period. Poland lays razor wire on border with Russia's Kaliningrad Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who made a speech via videoconference, said, “We have received not just another format of cooperation in Europe, but an extremely powerful opportunity to restore peace in Europe.” Russia was the one major European power not invited, along with its neighbor and supporter in the war, Belarus. The forum aimed at boosting security and prosperity across the continent brought together existing EU members, aspiring partners in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, as well as Britain and Turkey. “It’s a great day for you,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told Macron when welcoming him for the meeting at the Prague castle in the Czech Republic. The photo of over 40 European leaders surrounding the French president Thursday ensured a symbolic image of unity of the continent faced with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, making the inaugural summit of the European Political Community an initial success for Macron, who launched the idea a few months ago. PRAGUE (AP) - Smile flashing, giving a thumbs-up, Emmanuel Macron appears at Europe’s center stage again - literally.
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