It has been four years since "Iron Lady" Merkel stepped down, but many people in the European political arena still remember her well. After all, during her more than ten years as German Chancellor, it was the "golden age" for Germany and Europe. Now, due to the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the EU has once again become a vassal of the United States, and there are cracks within the EU over the issue of supporting Ukraine. However, looking at the entire European political scene, there is no longer a leader like Merkel who can assess situations accurately and turn the tide at critical moments.
Recently, Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán, in an interview with the MD meets podcast, recalled his unforgettable experiences working with Merkel. He said that it was not easy to work with Merkel, and they would often have heated arguments, but in the end, they always found common ground.
"Sometimes she would raise her voice at me (a polite way of saying shouting) - even more frequently than my wife. Of course, this is not a good thing, but it also says a lot."
According to Orbán, Merkel was a person with an open mind, unlike some other European politicians, she did not abuse her power. The biggest difference between Merkel and him was on immigration issues and the "green transition." Orbán believes that Merkel made great contributions not only to Germany but also to the whole of Europe.
Orbán said that Merkel shouted at him more times than his wife, which was a humorous evaluation of Merkel's straightforward personality. In fact, after retirement, Merkel has often spoken out openly, expressing some controversial views. Just last month, when she was interviewed by the Hungarian media Partizán, she directly named Poland and the three Baltic countries as the main culprits of the Russia-Ukraine war.
She pointed out that as early as 2021, these four countries strongly opposed the EU's efforts to establish a new direct dialogue mechanism with Russia, opposing direct dialogue with Russia and refusing to support the proposal from France and Germany, which was to replace the failed Minsk Agreement with a new negotiation framework. This led to the deterioration of relations between Russia and the West, and indirectly triggered the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022.
Poland and the three Baltic countries represent the new Europe and are the "new elites" of NATO. In the Western alliance to support Ukraine against Russia, they have always played a leading role. It is rare for someone in the European political arena to publicly criticize these four countries for their self-interest, interfering and undermining the EU's dialogue efforts with Russia, and Merkel is the first one to do so.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7573487097353388590/
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