Berlin (Germany), Jan 29 (LaPresse) – Germany is a partner of the United States, not a subordinate. This was stated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz while speaking in the Bundestag. “We will always be ready to cooperate with the US, but as democracies we are partners and allies, not subordinates,” he said. “We are open to new partnerships,” Merz added, stressing that only free trade is “the path to the prosperity and security of nations.” For this reason, it was important for Mercosur to come into force.
Merz renewed his criticism of the Greens, who in Brussels, together with votes from right-wing populist parties, referred the agreement to the Court of Justice of the European Union for review. “Measures are needed to reduce dependencies, dependencies that we have accepted far too lightly in recent years and decades, measures for greater sovereignty, in particular technological sovereignty as well,” the chancellor said.
“We will not allow the commitment of our soldiers in Afghanistan to be disparaged or belittled today,” Merz added, indirectly responding to recent comments on allied troops by US President Donald Trump. Merz recalled Germany’s participation in the NATO Enduring Freedom mission alongside the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks, underlining the price paid by the Bundeswehr: “59 German soldiers lost their lives over nearly twenty years of mission, more than one hundred were wounded, in some cases seriously.” “Their service was and is valuable,” the chancellor said. “This service represents our freedom and peace in the world.” Merz assured that “the federal government of the Federal Republic of Germany stands by its soldiers.”