LOC14:57
11:57 GMT
PARIS, Sept 15 (KUNA) -- One day ahead of a major European Union Summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met here Thursday to fine-tune positions on a number of important issues, the future of Europe, internal and external security and the refugee crisis shaking the continent.
The two leaders also revealed that they were discussing the latest developments in Syria three days after the declaration of a truce in that conflict.
Hollande said in a press statement that the two leaders were communicating on the many crises that threatened Europe, among them Ukraine, Iraq and Syria, and noted that France was directly active in Iraq and Syria and is "seeking a political solution" to these conflicts.
Both Hollande and Merkel were in agreement that more had to be done to improve internal and external security in the EU, by bolstering border monitoring and also increasing intelligence and policing and cooperation between services in all 27 countries.
Holland announced three priorities for the Bratislava Summit: 1) Security and the fight against terrorism, with a special focus on cooperation; 2) The economic well-being of the EU and ways to tackle this situation in the wake of the "Brexit" decision by Britain, which is withdrawing from the Union; 3) Helping the youth in the EU and addressing their perceptions of Europe and finding ways to improve development for younger people.
Merkel also stressed the important security file and said that Germany and France "want to assume their responsibilities, to prepare and have the same priorities."
She underlined security needs on the EU's external borders and also the need to cater to migrants who have been forced to leave their countries because of war and repression.
"France and Germany...want to have an inclusive basis to deal with the terrorism threat...and refugees who are threatened by Daesh (so-called Islamic State)," the Chancellor said.
"We have to take these responsibilities together," she added, noting cooperation with France and Italy on the Mediterranean refugee crisis.
Hollande, for his part, warned that Bratislava was taking place in the context of not just another crisis, but maybe "a crisis for the existence" of Europe. (end)
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