French presidential hopeful from The Republicans party Francois Fillon slammed on Thursday the current president Francois Hollande’s approach to foreign policy.

“I assure you that the policy we followed during the last four years have failed, the civil war has intensified in Syria,” Fillon said during a debate with his rival, former prime minister Alain Juppe, in Paris, calling for a dialogue with Russia and Iran in order to build a global coalition to combat terrorism.

“What counts in the foreign policy that I want to pursue is that France defend its interests. The policy of Hollande with regard to Russia is absurd, it pushes Russia to harden, to isolate itself. It is the largest country in the world packed with nuclear weapons and therefore a dangerous country if treated like it has been treated for five years. The real danger for Europe, economic [danger], is the Asian continent,” Fillon said during the Friday presidential debate.

“Did our policy allow for an end to violence? No. We must admit it and find another way to work to stop this war,” he added.

Source: Al-Manar Website