Germany's foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel blamed the US president Donald Trump for weakening the West, fueling crisis in the west Asia region, sealing multibillion arms deal with a despotic regime like Saudi Arabia.
A day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that Europe could no longer completely rely on traditional allies such as the US and Britain, Sigmar Gabriel stepped up the rhetoric, saying Trump's "shortsighted Policies" against the interests of the European Union."
"Anyone who accelerates climate change by weakening environmental protection, who sells more weapons in conflict zones and who does not want to politically resolve religious conflicts is putting peace in Europe at risk," the top German diplomat said in reference to the US $350 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia that is internationally blamed for fueling sectarian disputes across the world.
Saudi Arabia has launched a bloody aggression against its southern neighbor Yemen since March 2015 that has claimed lives of more than 13,000 people. Human Rights organizations have cautioned that selling arms to Riyadh may make Washington complicit in the Al Saud regime's war crimes in most impoverished Arab state, Yemen.
German foreign minister who also serves as Germany's vice chancellor warned that "The short-sighted policies of the American government stand against the interests of the European Union. The West has become smaller, at least it has become weaker."
Germany and other European nations were unimpressed with Trump's performance at both the NATO and G7 summits last week, where he refused to endorse NATO's collective defense principle or the Paris climate agreement.
Speaking on the sidelines of the third Berlin roundtable discussion on refugees and migration, Gabriel called on Europe to stand up to the current US administration and not shy away from offering criticism.
"If the Europeans are not resolutely opposing to this right now, the migration flow to Europe will continue to grow. Those who do not oppose this US policy are guilty."
Germany's vice chancellor also suggested that Trumps wrong policies will help China Take American the US role as leading power in international arena.
"American colleagues apparently do not realize that, when they leave, there are others who are coming in, for example China, with completely different ideas."
EU Can No Longer Rely on US: Merkel
On Sunday, German chancellor Angela Merkel cautioned Europe can no longer rely on it’s the US.
Merkel declared a new chapter in US-European relations after contentious meetings with President Trump last week, saying “And so all I can say is that we Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands.”
Offering a tough review in the wake of Trump's trip to visit EU, Nato and G7 leaders last week, Merkel told a packed Bavarian beer hall rally that “The times in which we can fully count on others are somewhat over, as I have experienced in the past few days".
The chancellor told a 2,500-strong crowd in the Bavarian capital that Germany and Europe would naturally strive to remain on good terms with the US, Britain and other countries, “even with Russia”, adding “We have to know that we must fight for our future on our own, for our destiny as Europeans."
The two-day G7 summit in Italy pitted the US president – whom Merkel did not mention by name – against the leaders of Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Japan on several issues.
The leaders vowed to fight protectionism, reiterating a “commitment to keep our markets open”; step up pressure on North Korea; cooperate more closely on terrorism; and look into placing tougher sanctions on Russia.
But while six of the seven renewed their commitment to the 2015 Paris accord on climate change, Trump said he needed more time to decide.
During his election campaign, Trump frequently questioned the value of the EU, welcomed Britain’s vote to leave the bloc and spoke positively of anti-EU politicians such as the French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Merkel said the result of the G7 talks, which she described as “six against one”, was “very difficult, if not to say very unsatisfactory”.
Touching on Trump's repeated past accusations that other members of the Nato alliance were failing to match America’s military spending commitment of 2% of GDP, saying "Where Germany can help, Germany will help,” she said to loud applause, “because Germany can only do well if Europe is doing well".
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/6824
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