French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Friday denied any interference in domestic politics following his position in favor of secularism formulated to show that Quebec, which “has taken its destiny in hand and follows its star” , is not alone.
Closing his visit to Quebec that began Thursday, Mr. Attal affirmed that he was respectful of domestic political debates. He stressed that he would not want a representative of a foreign country to interfere in a French internal debate, which guides his conduct abroad.
During his speech Thursday before the National Assembly, Mr. Attal underlined the importance of secularism which he presented as a foundation of the democratic values of the French Republic. He drew a parallel with the law passed to ban religious symbols from people in authority in Quebec, criticized by the federal government.
In a press conference, Prime Minister Attal denied having taken a position on a divisive issue.
“There are countries or territories or nations in the world that have adopted this model and I consider that my responsibility when I travel internationally to one of these countries is to remind these nations that they are not alone and that this model is defended elsewhere. Does this mean that we are once again entering into an internal political debate? The answer is no,” he said.
Mr. Attal returned in conclusion to the subject of the policy of “non-interference, non-indifference”, to which he confirmed that he adhered to on Thursday.
“After having made this trip, exchanged with everyone, the way in which I, on a personal level, would describe Quebec, I would say that Quebec is a nation which has taken its destiny in hand and which follows his star,” he said.