What happened at the right-wing summit in Paris?
A new, strong alliance of German and French right-wing forces could be taking shape after a meeting between the party chiefs of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the French National Rally.
Alice Weidel, co-leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD), welcomed the outcome of the meeting with the leadership of the French National Rally.
„The meeting with parliamentary group leader Marine Le Pen and party leader Jordan Bardella was very important and significant for our common cooperation and for the upcoming European Parliament elections,”
Weidel told the German Junge Freiheit paper. „We discussed many political issues and found that we pursue the same approaches to solving the major problems we face today,” she posted on social media.
Ich habe mich heute persönlich mit Marine Le Pen und Jordan Bardella ausgetauscht. Wir haben viele politische Themenfelder besprochen und festgestellt, dass wir bei den großen Problemen der heutigen Zeit die gleichen Lösungsansätze verfolgen. Ich bedanke mich sehr für den…
— Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) February 20, 2024
Talks also touched on the alleged revelations by the pro-government Correctiv network.
„During the discussion, I talked about the current campaign that has been waged against the AfD ever since the story invented by the Correctiv came out. This fight against disinformation and slander only brings the Alternative for Germany and the National Rally closer together,
the AfD leader stressed. The two politicians agreed to exchange information regularly in the future and to stay in close contact.
The two parties, however, do not share the same position on every issue. Le Pen’s party does not support the remigration policy advocated by the AfD. Le Pen also noted that it was not for her personally to decide on cooperation in the European Parliament. Moreover, the parties are not oriented along precise party programmes but are striving to strengthen the national sovereignty of member states against the European Union. In the European Parliament, both parties belong to the same group.