French Defense Chief Urges Tighter EU-NATO Security After Attacks in Paris

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian underscored that terrorist attacks in France were yet more proof that improving cooperative efficiency is absolutely necessary.

MUNICH (Sputnik) — French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged on Friday to step up security cooperation between the European Union and NATO, stressing the Charlie Hebdo attack indicated a strong link between domestic and external security.

"The new situation has shown that there is a clear link between internal security and external security, they go hand in hand with each other, and the European Union and NATO are not competing with each other, they are acting in compliment action with each other," Le Drian stressed, speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

He underscored that terrorist attacks in France were yet more proof that improving cooperative efficiency is absolutely necessary.

The call for better cooperation comes a month after a series of shootings at the office of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and near Paris that killed a score of people, shocking France and the world.

Following the assaults, European police service Europol reported there was a potential threat of new terror attacks across the European Union, including the United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Netherlands.