Macron Tells CNN Democracies Need to Avoid Lecturing Others, Become More Respectful

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview that democracies should avoid lecturing other nations by saying "we are on the good side of history" and become more respectful to those countries because the world order is currently at stake and requires cooperation on a global scale.

"I think we have to be very respectful - we have to avoid lecturing people by saying ‘we are on the good side of history.’ I think if we have a lot of respect, if we try to understand where they stand what they believe in and what their feelings are, we can convince them," Macron told CNN on Thursday.

"These guys [non-democracies] are different from us but all together being respectful, we can work because what is at stake is global order. Peace, climate change, food security - all these things could be fixed if we have cooperation between the US, Europe, China, India, Asia and Pacific, Africa and Latin [America]," Macron added.

At the same time, Macron believes that liberal democracies across the world are undergoing a "big crisis" and acknowledged that the West faces increasing pressure on societies in recent years.

"I think we have [a] big crisis of democracies, of what I would call liberal democracies. Let’s be clear about that. Why? First, because being open societies and being open and very cooperative democracies put pressure on your people. It could destabilize them," Macron said in an interview.

Such countries "have to articulate the respect of people’s willingness, middle class references, and all the progress made by our democracies welcoming different cultures, being open and cooperative," the French president explained. "This is a matter of balance," he stressed.

Macron acknowledged that the West faces an increasing pressure on societies in recent years. "We are at the point where, in our different countries, there is what I would call a crisis of middle classes," he said.

Macron on Russia's Special Operation in Ukraine

Ukraine and Russia will have to come to a negotiation table to end the ongoing conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

"The Ukrainians and the Russians will have to go to the table to negotiate, so it will be the end of this [conflict]," Macron told CNN.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in the interview that he considers having a respectful dialogue with Russia useful as has been the case with sending an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine.

"It's always more efficient to be respectful and to try to find a way forward when you have this discussion. I think it is useful, because, for instance, thanks to this dialogue [with Russia], we managed to organize this mission with the international agency [IAEA] to go to the nuclear plant of Zaporozhye to have an independent mission," Macron told CNN on Thursday.

Macron added that he is hopeful that an agreement to demilitarize the ZNPP is being finalized now to ensure there are no weapons in the area around the plant.

On Wednesday, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that the agency along with representatives of Russia, Ukraine, and other partners is already working on the very concrete aspects that would be required to establish a demilitarized zone around the ZNPP. He also said that IAEA will enlarge the size of its mission at the ZNPP in the next few days.

"I worry about all of us," French President Macron tells @JakeTapper in a U.S. exclusive interview, warning that the world is facing a crises of democracies. pic.twitter.com/5IQ9c4jeEI

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) September 22, 2022

Macron on JCPOA

An agreement to resume compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran is still feasible but the United States and other involved parties must make clear to Tehran that the current offer is the final one, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

"I think a deal is feasible, but we know that we have to finalize this deal and we have to now be clear that this is the final offer," Macron told CNN when asked about the possibility of reaching a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA.

US President Joe Biden at the UN General Assembly vowed never to let Iran gain nuclear weapons capabilities, a goal of the JCPOA.

Macron on UN Security Council Reform

French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview that his country is in favor of a UN Security Council reform that would include an increase in the number of African and other "emerging" countries.

"[W]e are in favor of a reform of the Security Council to especially have a better representation of the African continent and then some emerging countries. I do believe that our responsibility is to make this international order function. We have to preserve our values and the [UN] charter," Macron said on Thursday.

Macron said the alleged East-West divide that Russia has allegedly been planning to create is "very dangerous."

When delivering his remarks at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden President called on the United Nations to become "more inclusive," lending the United States’ support to increasing the number of permanent and non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council.

Biden also said that the members of UN Security Council have to consistently uphold the UN Charter and refrain from the use of the veto except in rare, extraordinary situations to ensure it remains a credible and effective body.