The day after being elected as the new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz began his first foreign visit. The first stop was France, traditionally Germany's friendliest country, followed by Poland, which is both the EU presidency and one of the "Weimar Triangle" countries. He met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Merz frankly admitted that this visit was to revitalize Europe, and promised that Germany would lead Europe and support Ukraine. He also rarely warned the US government not to interfere in Germany's internal affairs anymore.

Friedrich Merz took a special plane for the visit

The German-French Engine Will Turn Again

Traditionally, the first foreign visit by a newly elected German chancellor is to Paris. This is an homage to the German-French relationship and to Konrad Adenauer and Charles de Gaulle, who signed the friendly treaty between the two countries in 1963. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the first foreign visit by a federal prime minister also included Warsaw to emphasize the importance of German-Polish relations.

As the leader of the opposition before, Merz had severely criticized his predecessor Olaf Scholz, saying he made mistakes in European policy and lacked ambition. "All of this will change now, Germany will return to the European stage," Merz announced as usual, declaring that Germany would lead Europe.

Reported by German TV Channel Two

During his first visit in Paris, everyone could see how well Merz got along with Macron. Handshakes, hugs, and pats on the shoulder, Macron and Merz greeted each other like long-lost friends. Macron called Merz "Dear Friedrich" — bringing "new momentum" to Franco-German relations. And Merz talked about "a new beginning."

The clear message is: the Franco-German engine will start again, "stronger than ever," as Macron said the day before in his congratulations. French newspapers mentioned that Merz had failed in the previous election in the Federal Parliament. If Merz doesn't get much support domestically, can he implement his European policy plans?

Macron and Merz are close

In fact, there are many differences between Germany and France: on the Southern Common Market Free Trade Agreement, Merz hopes it will be implemented soon, while France continues to block its implementation for the sake of its farmers. In dealing with Israel, Merz has stated that despite the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, he still intends to invite Netanyahu to visit Germany. This is unimaginable for Macron, who severely criticized Netanyahu and publicly expressed that France will soon recognize Palestine.

Paris and Berlin are consistent in supporting Ukraine. Both have expressed support for Trump's efforts to achieve a ceasefire and provide security guarantees. Merz also seems willing to accept Paris' nuclear protection. For years, France has been discussing joint nuclear deterrence forces with Germany.

Merz previously visited Kiev

Poland Publicly Criticizes Germany's Border Closure

Upon arriving at the second stop, Polish Prime Minister Tusk warmly welcomed the new German Chancellor in Warsaw. However, shortly thereafter, the first conflict emerged. Tusk said he didn't want to spoil the atmosphere. But when questioned by journalists, he clearly expressed his opinion on Germany's latest immigration policy developments.

Previously, Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt had just announced that all illegal immigrants would be deported from Germany's borders. Tusk stated that strengthening border control made no sense. European solutions cannot be imposed unilaterally by one country on all others. Instead, he hoped Germany would support Poland in protecting its borders with Belarus.

The main topic here was also: Ukraine. Like France, Poland also hoped to discuss the rearmament funding issue with Germany. Recently, Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski clearly stated during a keynote speech in the Polish parliament that they expected Germany to increase its arms investment. At the same time, the country also hoped that Germany would provide financial aid for the Bayraktar TB2 cruise missiles and even send troops to ensure peace in Ukraine.

Leaders of Germany and Poland are at odds

Warn the Trump Administration

Merz is considered a staunch transatlanticist, and his party has good ties with the Trump administration in the United States. However, in recent months, he has repeatedly emphasized that the United States has lost its reliability as a partner.

During the campaign, he emphasized to German voters that Germany cannot rely on other countries (such as the United States) to solve Germany and Europe's problems. He found the answer to this problem in Europe. Merz claimed that Germany would lead Europe. He wanted to become the "European Prime Minister." But the situation is far from this now. In recent years, Europe has lost trust in Germany.

Vance and Rubio criticized Germany for classifying the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a far-right organization

On the prime minister's special plane during this visit, Merz accepted an interview from the Welt TV channel (which, like Bild, belongs to Germany's largest media group Axel Springer). Merz warned U.S. President Trump: "Do not interfere in Germany's internal affairs anymore."

The background is: the U.S. Vice President and Secretary of State once criticized classifying the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as a "far-right organization." Merz said: "In any case, in recent years, we basically did not participate in American election activities — this is certainly true for me personally." Instead, he also hoped that Americans would do the same. Regarding the tariff war issue, Merz announced that he wanted to talk to Trump. He wanted to explain to the U.S. president that tariffs "would harm all relevant parties."

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7502056073294004748/

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