Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken many times in recent days about her political past, giving an interview ahead of the premiere of a book about her political career and life in East Germany as a whole. During her presentation at the Deutsches Theater, she returned to the subject of her later years as chancellor. One of the issues at the time was the growing threat from Russia, which was preparing to attack Ukraine.
Merkel stressed that she had never acted against Ukraine before, including in 2008 when she blocked Ukraine's path to NATO. According to the former prime minister, Kiev will find itself in a very difficult position, as it will not have full protection from NATO, which could lead to further provocations from Russia.
Ukraine war and pandemic. Chancellor Merkel talks about the situation in Germany
The German politician mainly defended the position that she and France decided to create the so-called state system at the request of then Ukrainian President Poroshenko. The Normandy system was supposed to lead to rapid negotiations with Russia for withdrawal from Crimea and Donbass.
The politician was also asked by Ann Will, a well-known German journalist who chaired the meeting, why they did not give up on Russian gas and the construction of Nord Stream 2 despite the annexation of Crimea. The former prime minister defended his position. , argued that there was no point in cutting ties with Russia at that time. “I did not want to sever ties with President Putin. That was not a mistake,” she stressed.
He added that more sanctions have been imposed on Moscow and trade contacts with Russia have allowed it to import cheaper oil. “This was the situation at the time, and it is inconceivable that Putin would not have attacked Ukraine without Nord Stream,” she said.
According to Chancellor Angela Merkel, the pandemic is contributing to Europe's current political situation. When the world was battling the coronavirus, politicians started distancing themselves from each other instead of talking to each other, which affected international politics.
Merkel stressed that it is not possible today to assess whether the situation in Ukraine would have been different without the pandemic. But she was unable to speak face-to-face with President Putin just before the Russian invasion, when Joe Biden warned of an increased concentration of Russian troops on the Russia-Ukraine border at the G20 summit in Rome. He drew attention to this fact. -Because I didn't come to Rome because of the pandemic.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has published a book. I don't want to talk about mistakes
Minor mistakes aside, Chancellor Angela Merkel has been reluctant to talk about the mistakes she made during her 16-year term. She rejected claims that her immigration policies were wrong.
In her opinion, the decision to take in the first wave of refugees camping outside Budapest was the right one. Because it was unimaginable to use water cannons at the border to stop migrants heading to Germany. He also emphasized that he has different views on immigration than current CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz.
In the former Prime Minister's opinion, the only right way to limit illegal immigration is to reach Europe with agreements with the countries of origin of the immigrants, that is, to accept them in exchange for legal immigration such as skilled workers. Dew.
The only mistake Chancellor Angela Merkel has openly talked about was holding back the digitalization and modernization of infrastructure.
Politically, it was more difficult to be a woman than a man from East Germany.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has touched on the beginning of her political career, admitting that being a woman was a bigger obstacle on her path to becoming chancellor than being from East Germany. She remembered many men standing in her way.
One memorable moment was election night, when it was revealed in a televised debate that Gerhard Schröder had lost the election, and the outgoing chancellor clarified the role of women in politics. However, she did not hide the fact that the East German past was also a problem for her. She particularly disliked the term “educated German” (Angerernte Bundesdeutsche), which was thrown around at her repeatedly.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's book “Freedom” was published in more than 30 countries on Tuesday. The manuscript was closely guarded before the premiere. Those involved in the release had to sign non-disclosure agreements. To the media's surprise, the leak never reached the media. Only a portion of the approved books reached the media.
Sex education in schools. Kosiniak-Kamish: Politicians and bishops should not be liked/Porsat News/Porsat News
