Bilateral meeting takes place this Saturday (22) during the G20 summit; Friedrich Merz generated diplomatic unease by declaring that the delegation was ‘happy’ to leave Belém
President Luiz Inácio da Silva (PT) has a meeting scheduled for this Saturday (22) with the Chancellor of Germany, . The bilateral meeting will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, where both leaders are participating in the 20th summit of heads of state and government. The agenda takes place amid a climate of diplomatic tension generated by recent comments by the German head of government about the capital of Pará.
The episode that led to the friction occurred after a brief visit by Merz to , the city hosting the climate conference, . Back in Europe, during a speech in Berlin last week, the chancellor said his delegation felt relieved to leave the . According to Merz, when he asked the journalists who accompanied him if anyone would like to stay there, no one spoke in favor, and everyone was happy to return to Germany.
The statement was received with scathing criticism in Brazil, being classified by authorities as arrogant and prejudiced, even leading to a vote of censure in the . In Germany itself, the tone used by the chancellor was also criticized by base and opposition parliamentarians.
President Lula publicly refuted the statements last Tuesday (18). The PT member argued that the German politician did not have adequate experiences in the region, suggesting that he should have known the local cuisine and frequented popular environments to understand the generosity of the people of the region. Lula even compared the two nations, stating that the German capital would not offer “10% of the quality” found in Belém.
Despite the exchange of barbs, German diplomacy signaled that there will be no formal apology. The European government spokesperson claimed that the statements were taken out of context and that there is no harm to bilateral relations. On the eve of the meeting, Merz tried to alleviate the situation, declaring to the press that there is no “negative charge” between him and the Brazilian president.
