"America is back, the transatlantic alliance is back": during his first major foreign policy speech to his European partners, the new American President Joe Biden affirmed, on Friday February 19, his commitment to NATO , accusing Moscow of "attacking" Western democracies, he said at the Munich conference on security.

Angela Merkel, for her part, welcomed "reinforced multilateralism" at the end of the virtual G7 summit, the first in the presence of the new American president.

Breaking with his predecessor Donald Trump, Joe Biden promised as soon as he came to power America's "return" on the international scene.

Anxious to restore transatlantic relations, he participated in the G7 on Friday and then, by videoconference alongside the German Chancellor and Emmanuel Macron, in the Munich conference, an annual meeting bringing together heads of state, diplomats and security specialists.

"I speak to you today as President of the United States, at the very beginning of my administration, and I send a clear message to the world: America is back, the transatlantic alliance is back," he said. declared the 46th President of the United States from the White House.

"I believe in NATO

!", Said Macron

This reconciliation of the United States with multilateralism and its traditional alliances was greeted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, other distinguished guests of the conference.

“I believe in NATO!” Proclaimed the French president, who sowed consternation at the end of 2019 by declaring the Atlantic Alliance in a state of “brain death”.

The European strategic autonomy defended by France does not aim to replace NATO, but to make the European Union a more reliable partner for the United States, added Emmanuel Macron.

Joe Biden also confirmed that the American contingent stationed in Germany would not be withdrawn, contrary to what Donald Trump had announced.

The three leaders have made many common commitments, including that of defending democratic values ​​threatened by "those who claim that autocracies are the answer" to current crises, in the words of Joe Biden.

The Democrat on the other hand reaffirmed his commitment to the fight against climate change, a "world existential crisis", and called for the fight against "China's economic abuses".

Either a position in the continuity of his predecessor Donald Trump.

The United States must respond to Iran's "destabilizing activities" in the Middle East, Joe Biden also said, without detailing them.

The American president confirmed in the same speech Washington's desire to relaunch the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement by involving all the signatory countries, including Iran.

Attack on Russia, but without "pitting East against West"

Addressing the European partners sometimes mistreated by the United States under Donald Trump, his successor accused Russia of "attacking our democracies" and said he was determined to "regain" the confidence of Europe.

Russian President Vladimir "Putin seeks to weaken the European project and our NATO alliance", he accused.

"He wants to sabotage transatlantic unity and our resolve, because it is much easier for the Kremlin to intimidate and threaten states alone than to negotiate with a strong and united transatlantic community," he said. added.

But "it is not a question of pitting the East against the West", clarified Joe Biden.

"We cannot and must not go back (...) to the frozen blocks of the Cold War".

"In far too many places, including in Europe and the United States, the advance of democracy is under attack," warned the former vice-president of Barack Obama.

"We are at a crucial moment."   

Faced with the advance of populism, "we absolutely must demonstrate that our democracies can still benefit our peoples," he insisted.

Need a "strong" EU

"We are at the heart of a fundamental debate about the future trajectory of our world. Among those who argue that, given all the challenges we face, from the Fourth Industrial Revolution to a global pandemic, authoritarianism is the best way forward, and those who understand that democracy is essential to meet these challenges, ”Biden continued.

"Democracy does not happen by chance. We must defend it, strengthen it, renew it."

This proclaimed "return" of America to the heart of international alliances was well received by Angela Merkel.

"Multilateralism will again have more chances within the G7," said the German Chancellor at a press conference at the end of this summit of the seven great powers, referring to the "first decisions" of the new President, as the return of the United States in the Paris climate agreement.

With AFP and Reuters

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