WOODSTOCK: New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to “strengthen their cooperation on illegal migration” and “revitalize” their defense partnership in bilateral talks on Thursday.
The two met on the sidelines of a summit with European leaders as London seeks to rebuild its relationship with the EU and turn the page on rocky post-Brexit relations.
“Looking to the future, France and the UK will continue to work together across the spectrum of the relationship,” they said in a joint statement.
The two leaders also addressed the issue of migrants crossing the English Channel from France to Britain, a sensitive political issue for Britain.
\”If we want to fix the situation in the English Channel, it’s not just a bilateral situation,” Macron told reporters.
Starmer has previously said there is “no simple silver bullet” to stop small boats making dangerous voyages.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the European Political Community (EPC) summit held near Oxford, England, their first meeting since Starmer’s Labor government was elected two weeks ago.
They said they shared “an ambition to reinvigorate our defense cooperation” and “unwavering support for Ukraine” in the fight against Russian invasion.
The French president said that it is “a very important moment to make this reset” of Franco-British relations and ties between the United Kingdom and the EU.
He also called on the British to “respect what was decided and signed” during the arduous negotiations that followed their departure from the EU.
