MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

German President announces South American tour

Steinmeier will be attending Orsi's inauguration in Montevideo

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will be touring Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile between February 28 and March 8, it was announced Monday in Berlin. The head of state will attend Yamandú Orsi's inauguration in Montevideo on March 1. He is also scheduled to meet with Paraguay's Santiago Peña and Chile's Gabriel Boric Font.

“With his trip, at a time of global upheaval and reorientation, the Federal President wants to strengthen and deepen Germany's partnerships in South America. Bilateral relations with Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile are characterized by long-standing partnerships, partly due to the history of German immigration,” a statement from the German Government read.

Steinmeier, who is serving his second consecutive term as President of the Federal Republic of Germany until 2027, is an avid traveler. Earlier this year, he toured Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Türkiye, where he discussed global events such as the revolution in Syria with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.

In Syria-bordering Jordan, he visited German troops at the Al-Asrak airbase participating in the international mission against the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist militia, in addition to meeting Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Then, he went to Ankara for talks with President Recep Tayyip at the Presidential Palace. The overthrow of Syria's long-term ruler Bashar al-Assad by a rebel alliance led by Islamists has significantly increased Turkey's influence in the region.

Another topic of interest was the situation in the Gaza Strip, where Germany wanted to help stabilize the region alongside other European partners. However, that was before US President Donald Trump said his country would eventually take sole control of the territory and relocate its population.

Back in Nov. 2022, Steinmeier welcomed then-Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez in Berlin to discuss green hydrogen production projects in the South American country, as well as meat exports and the Bioceanic Road Corridor.