Europe, Russia need to work hand-in-hand, says Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday called on to Russia to work "hand-in-hand" with Europe, claiming that the country is an "inalienable part of Europe".
In an address to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum here, Macron made a reference to the values of cooperation, multilateralism and sovereignty, while subtly criticising policies of isolationism and protectionism, CNN reported.

"Let us get around the table to talk about things. If we miss this moment then we really lose it forever," Macron said.

Macron's speech was followed by an address from Vladimir Putin in which he warned that the world was currently experiencing, "a systemic crisis" in global trade rules.

"There are more and more classic forms of restriction and we are now talking about a completely new era of protectionism -- and this is all defended by references to national interests and so on. These kind of random sanctions are extremely damaging and more and more attempts are made to circumvent the rules. Worldwide lack of confidence has an effect on growth," CNN quoted Putin as saying.

Putin also said that United States President Donald Trump was playing to his base by pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal -- but warned the consequences could be bad.

"He is making good on his electoral promises, so he is a victor domestically. But if this deal is destroyed, many will lose," Putin added. Trump withdrew from the Iranian nuclear accord on May 9.

President Trump accused Tehran of sponsoring terror and said, "he is committed to ensuring Iran has no possible path to a nuclear weapon and is addressing the threats posed by the regime's malign activities".

He had also said that over the years Iran and its proxies have bombed American installations and said if he doesn't pull out of the deal there would soon be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

(ANI)