Macron Blasts Nationalism As "Betrayal Of Patriotism" While Trump Speaks With Putin
With President Trump already under fire as he attended the World War I centenary commemoration events in Paris for skipping a planned visit to Belleau Wood battlefield and cemetery due to heavy rain, French President Emmanuel Macron used the ceremony's culmination on Sunday to issue a firm condemnation of nationalism. Amidst a steady drizzle and just feet from world leaders including Presidents Trump and Vladimir Putin, Macron emphasized a theme which he said led to the irreversible build-up of tensions that caused the outbreak of WWI. Macron said:
“Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism, nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism.”
During Sunday's events Trump and Putin are reported to have had brief face-to-face discussions after the French previously requested that no formal sideline summit take place, Reuters confirms.
The French president followed this with: “In saying ‘our interests first and who care about the others,’ we erase what a nation has that’s most precious, what makes it live, what is most important: its moral values,” according to Bloomberg. Macron called for the strengthening of international institutions like the EU and U.N. and in comments simultaneously widely interpreted as "a rebuke to present-day leaders such as Trump who shun the international order in favor of nationalist policies."
“Let’s add up our hopes and not our fears,” Macron said. “Let’s reject the fascination for turning in on ourselves, violence, and domination.” Included among his examples were poverty, hunger, inequality, climate change, as well as general "ignorance" about global challenges.
Throughout the weekend events pundits remarked on what they perceived as Trump's "isolation" in contrast to Chancellor Angela Merkel frequently at Macron’s side. Just prior to landing in Paris Trump had blasted Macron on Twitter for his “very insulting” comments surrounding the idea of a "European Army" that would be independent of US influence and policy. Trump echoed during an amicable meeting with Macron at the start of the weekend's events: "We want a strong Europe, it's very important to us, and whichever way we can do it the best and more efficient would be something we both want," said Trump. "We want to help Europe but it has to be fair. Right now the burden sharing has been largely on the United States."
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-11/macron-blasts-nationalism-betrayal-patriotism-during-wwi-ceremony-trump-and-putin