Maas Called for the Creation of a European Security Council in which Britain should also be a Member

Talking about Europeans’ foreign and security, Heiko Maas called for not abandoning partnership with the United States in NATO and involving Great Britain in the work of the future EU Security Council. In a situation of ongoing disputes over the organization of international security structures, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas once again called for the creation of an EU Security Council. In an article, published in German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel on Sunday, November 10, the head of German diplomacy said that “we need such a council to serve as the one venue where Europeans’ foreign and security policy actions are pooled, within the EU’s institutional framework and beyond it” and added that the UK must be involved, even if it leaves the EU, and Washington must be a key partner. On the Germany’s role in Ensuring EU Security “The President of the United States withdraws his troops from north-east Syria without consulting his closest partners. Turkey intervenes, paying no heed to warnings from Europe and the USA. The President of France declares NATO brain-dead. All this within just a few days, as if world history is unfolding in fast motion. This raises fundamental questions – as regards the reliability of our partners, the strength of our alliances, the security of our country and the right way forward into the future.” According to Maas, thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall we have still not experienced the end of history; the future seems more open-ended, less predictable, less secure than ever. Washington has long since viewed East-West relations as one issue of international politics and no longer as the issue, regardless of who controls the White House. “What is at issue now? It can no longer be taken for granted that we in Germany live in peace and security. It has been said repeatedly over the past years that Germany must assume greater responsibility for peace and security in the world. At this historic moment we see that this duty is overshadowed by a second, even more urgent mission: we must assume responsibility if we wish to preserve our own security in Europe and in Germany at all.” EU and U.S. cooperation in NATO In Germany’s opinion, it would clearly be a mistake to undermine NATO. Without the United States, neither Germany nor Europe are in a position to protect themselves effectively. That was recently illustrated very clearly by the Russian violation of the INF Treaty. And when Europe is one day able to defend its own security, we should still want NATO. We must not divide the Europeans on security matters. Germany will not tolerate any special arrangements, not vis-à-vis Moscow and not on any other matters. Our neighbours in Poland and the Baltic can trust us to take their security needs as seriously as we take our own. DW