00:00Charmichelle is too with us here on set and you know what it's like to sit in a room and
00:03deal with
00:04the crisis and this war in Iran it's impacting our pockets here in Europe but we've no say over
00:10the direction it's taking. Yeah I think it's absolutely important to have more ambition
00:14from a European perspective in the Middle East. We are not seen as a decisive player, as a decisive
00:23actor but maybe that's also because of our responsibility. If I look at the situation in
00:28the region there is an issue with Iran for many years. The people of Iran they've suffered two
00:34dictatorships, the Shah dictatorship, the Mullah dictatorship. You know when you repeat systematically
00:40the same behavior don't be surprised that you did the same result and this is what is going on in
00:45Iran. On the one hand we have tried diplomacy, we have tried political engagement, we found substantial
00:51results, more terrorism, more support for proxies by the regime in Iran, the nuclear threat, the use
00:59of hostages, foreign hostages to put pressure on governments within the EU and on the other hand
01:06we can see that the military intervention launched by Israel and the United States it doesn't lead to
01:13the result that we would like to get. So the Europeans are not doing enough to put pressure
01:16on the Americans who of course have the say here. Look, it's absolutely clear that we need to make
01:20some choices and today together with more than 20 former head of state, head of government, head of
01:28international organizations, we launched a call, a call on the EU to explore new options. We have tried
01:36appeasement and diplomatic engagement. We are observing that a military intervention is tried by the
01:42United States and Israel. We think that other options should be developed with the ambition to
01:48put the people of Iran at the heart. What kind of options? If you're sitting there at the council
01:52table, what kind of options? Look, with the experience I have over the last years, I'm observing
01:56that too often in the past we have accepted collectively to consider the people of Iran as the
02:02collateral victim of our political decisions and it's not acceptable anymore in my opinion. That's why I
02:08need more support to the people of Iran. There are a lot of people within the country with hopes and
02:15with the hope for a better future, to be in charge of their future, to be more master of our
02:23destiny.
02:23I don't think that those people today, they feel a support coming from outside and those people in
02:30Iran, they face a double punishment. The consequences of the military intervention on the one hand, but also
02:37the oppression by the regime. And how could that support to those people look like?
02:42I think there are a lot of options, a lot of possibilities. The simple fact that from a political
02:48point of view, we sent a clear signal that we are hearing their sufferings, that we are considering
02:54more options in terms of tangible, political, maybe financial support in some circumstances,
03:01it would be a very powerful signal and it could be a third path, a third way. And once again,
03:08Iran in this regime is the source of a lot of uncertainties. That's a threat, a threat against
03:15global security, a threat against global economy. We can see the consequences in terms of freedom of
03:21navigation and what it means for all of us in terms of economic consequences.
03:25And what should European governments be doing now to soften the blow of that energy crisis this
03:28winter? The situation is grim, as we've seen on Friday with that G7 meeting.
03:32Yeah, there is one very powerful signal. It means that in the future, we need to be less dependent.
03:38We need to be more sovereign, more resilient, and that's needed to develop our own capabilities.
03:44But of course, a certain interaction with the rest of the world will be always needed,
03:48in my opinion. And that's why we need to be much more ambitious in terms of providing stability
03:54in that region. The Middle East, that's not an area that has to be settled by Mr. Kirchner and by
04:03the Americans. Only the European diplomats, the European leaders, they have a role to play. Why?
04:09Because we are at the front light to suffer the consequences. If there is more stability in that
04:14region, it will be good for us. It will be good for our economic development. When it's not the
04:19case, we suffer the consequences. And we can see today, in the daily life of our citizens, what are
04:26the concrete consequences of the situation. And people are suffering. And we're hearing messages
04:29from, for example, the Energy Commissioner here in Brussels saying that we need to use less fuel this
04:34winter. It's not sufficient, though, when people are really worried.
04:36Yeah, but it shows our failure. If we are in such a position, that's because we were not able to
04:44manage to be around the table. Once again, there's the same in Ukraine. There's the same in the Middle
04:49East. In my view, the destiny of the EU is not to be the vassal of anyone. The destiny of
04:55the EU
04:55is to promote our values and to defend our legitimate interests. And today, we understand that
05:01economy and security, it goes together. These are not two separate topics or two separate areas.
05:08And that's why I hope that the European Council next week will make strong decisions in relationship
05:15with Ukraine, of course, but also in relationship with the Middle East and with this purpose to have
05:22much more influence to protect much better our fundamental interests.
05:27And as, of course, you mentioned, next year will be a fascinating year for Europe with so many
05:30elections taking place. Have you followed the scandal going on in France regarding Jordan
05:35Bardella? What's your view here?
05:36I do not to comment the recent developments in relationship with Jordan Bardella, but one thing
05:42is absolutely clear. The choice for the voters in France, but also in some other European countries
05:48will be a choice for more European integration, more common sense. That's my personal opinion.
05:55Or, on the contrary, a choice for fermentation and a choice for some ambiguities in relationship
06:00with Russia. On my side, there is no doubt that what we need is more EU, more effectiveness.
06:09And we need also to be very clear that going in the direction of more fragmentation, more
06:15nationalism, more polarization is the wrong choice. And it will lead to more poverty and less
06:21influence for the EU. It will be detrimental for the citizens all across the EU.
06:26Okay. Sharmashal, thank you so much for coming in. Take care and see you.
