The Marseille Pact: Draghi accepted by Macron. Harmony on Afghanistan, Libya and the EU

• Afghanistan: Di Maio on a mission to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Qatar and Pakistan

• Afghanistan, towards a men-only government

• Afghanistan, Borrell: "discussions on the basis of conditions" with the Taliban

• The Afghan crisis and the refugee plight

Share

02 September 2021A hug between old friends and then immediately talking, dense, about issues on which there is understanding and harmony.

After all, Draghi had announced in the conference after the Council of Ministers: "Tonight I will see Macron in Marseille. We will talk essentially about Afghanistan but also about Europe, bilateral relations, Libya. It will be a complete, all-round conversation".

A few hours after the announcement, Draghi was greeted by the French Head of State, Emmanuel Macron with a warm hug near the "Le petit Nice" restaurant in Marseille.

The two walked the road that runs along the sea as the sun was setting, then entered the restaurant. "We are here to talk about Afghanistan - Macron said - then we have to talk about the next EU Council and prepare the French presidency. We will tackle bilateral and migratory issues, we will talk about the future".

A stronger Europe, which faces a common front, which, in the face of a tragedy such as the one marked by the Afghan crisis, does not close up, turning its back even on refugees. This is the main dish of the dinner between Mario Draghi and Emmanuel Macron, in the setting of Marseille, where Macron arrived for a "three days" of relaunching the second largest city in France, struggling with a resurgence of underworld and delinquency .

The meeting takes place at a time characterized by a renewed understanding between the two countries on a bilateral level and the desire to maintain a close link on the main European and international dossiers, as evidenced by the acceleration of the work for a treaty of enhanced cooperation.

The "Marseillaise" pact passes from the defense of an extraordinary G20 on the Afghan crisis which at the moment appears to be harnessed by crossed vetoes. The summit will take place, Prime Minister Draghi said confidently in the press conference held in the afternoon, before flying to Marseille, but only after the United Nations General Assembly at the end of September.

October, therefore, for an appointment that at the moment still appears to be uphill. But the support of France in this is there and it is total: Macron supports the Italian proposal to involve the G20 in the international coordination on the Afghan question.

There is also full agreement on the need for EU progress towards a common European migration and asylum policy. Which emerges strongly from another chessboard in which the closest cooperation between Italy and France is taking shape: Libya, another topic addressed during the dinner. On the other hand, the urgency of a common European policy, represented by Draghi at the European Council in June, became more evident, emerging with force precisely from the explosion of the Afghan crisis.