Angela Merkel defends Germany’s ties with Russia, calling it the partner, Reuters reported on Saturday. In the frame of the Munich Security Conference, German Chancellor urged the world leader not to underestimate Russia’s potential when she was asked about the gas pipeline.
A robust defence of Germany-Russia trade relations and ties became the surprise for the world leaders who gathered in Munich for the annual security conference. The German top politician called to work together to tackle the world’s problems and reiterated that Russia always was a trade partner even during the Cold War times.
In her speech, Angela Merkel explained plans for a new gas pipeline from Russia to Germany and asked its critics to understand that geostrategically, Europe can’t have an interest in cutting off all relations with Russia.
Donald Trump who arrive Munich with his senior adviser and daughter Ivanka, has accused Germany of being a “captive” of Russia due to its reliance on Russian energy, but German Chancellor argued: “If during the Cold War…we imported large amounts of Russian gas, I don’t know why times should be so much worse today that we can say: Russia remains a partner.”
When Ms Merkel was asked about the future of German-Russian gas pipeline, she emphasized it would be wrong to exclude Russia politically. A Munich Security Conference, Merkel also appealed for global cooperation on a range of issues from dealing with Iran to preventing another migrant crisis.
Responding to the question on international relations posed by the conference organizers – “The Great Puzzle: Who Will Pick Up the Pieces?” – Merkel responded to loud applause: “Only all of us together.” IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde was among those who stood up to applaud Merkel.
