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Merkel calls on Europe “to fight for its own destiny”, forget US and UK

Monday, May 29th 2017 - 08:28 UTC
Full article 23 comments
“The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I've experienced that in the last few days” Merkel told a crowd at an election rally “The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I've experienced that in the last few days” Merkel told a crowd at an election rally

Europe can no longer “completely depend” on the US and UK following the election of President Trump and Brexit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. Mrs. Merkel said she wanted friendly relations with both countries as well as Russia but Europe now had to “fight for its own destiny”.

 The German chancellor comments come after Mr. Trump refused to re-commit to the 2015 Paris climate deal at the G7 summit. Mrs. Merkel is on the campaign trail ahead of elections in September.

“The times in which we could completely depend on others are on the way out. I've experienced that in the last few days,” Angela Merkel told a crowd at an election rally in Munich, southern Germany.

The relationship between Berlin and new French President Emmanuel Macron had to be a priority, Mrs. Merkel said, adding: “We Europeans have to take our destiny into our own hands.”

On Saturday, the German leader had described climate change talks at the G7 group of rich nations as “very unsatisfactory”.

Leaders from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan had re-affirmed their support for the Paris accord - but Mr. Trump said he would make a decision in the coming week.

Mr. Trump has previously pledged to abandon the Paris deal, and expressed doubts about climate change. Speaking in Brussels last week, Mr. Trump also told NATO members to spend more money on defense and did not re-state his administration's commitment to NATO's mutual security guarantees.

Polls suggest Mrs. Merkel is on course to be re-elected for a fourth term as German chancellor at elections in September.

With four months to go before elections, Angela Merkel's position also looks stronger than ever domestically. Initial enthusiasm for her centre-left rival Martin Schulz has fizzled out. And Sunday's beer-tent event underscored her strength by marking an end to a potential split with her Bavarian sister conservative party.

She might not have welcomed Brexit or Trump. But it seems that Mrs. Merkel has decided that standing up for the EU will only strengthen her chances of winning another term in September.

 

Categories: Politics, International.

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  • golfcronie

    Is this the rise of Germany yet again? Glad to hear that she could depend of the UK in the past, what has changed, Oh, of course we are not going to pay for all those MEPS, sad really just get over it. We are not leaving Europe we are leaving “ the common market ” as it was called when we joined.

    May 29th, 2017 - 09:42 am +3
  • Capt Rockhopper

    Nice of her to admit that they had been depending (taking us for a ride) upon us for so long. Its about time that the Europeans started paying towards their defence. Funny how we had to save European destiny not just once, not just twice but three times in the last two hundred years, a French Dictator/emperor, a German Kaiser and German & Italian dictators.

    May 29th, 2017 - 11:39 am +2
  • golfcronie

    You will wait an awful long time.The UK will prosper again, no doubt

    May 30th, 2017 - 08:35 am +2
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