Merkel: US, Germany must stand together on climate change

U.S. and Germany must stand “side by side” in handling coronavirus pandemic, fighting global warming and terrorism, and in working for “an open global ecomy and free trade,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday.

President-elect Joe Biden brings decades of experience in domestic and foreign policy to job, and “he kws Germany and Europe well," Merkel said in her first comments in person on election outcome. chancellor had congratulated Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in writing on Saturday.

“ United States of America and Germany as part of European Union must stand toger to deal with great challenges of our time," Merkel said in a statement to reporters in Berlin. “Side by side in difficult test of corona pandemic, side by side in fight against global warming and its global consequences, (and) in fight against terrorism, side by side for an open world ecomy and free trade, because those are foundations of our prosperity on both sides of Atlantic.”

Biden will be fourth U.S. president that Merkel — who has led Germany since 2005 — has dealt with as chancellor. Relations with current President Donald Trump have often been frosty; Merkel stands for a multilateral approach to global affairs and is firmly behind efforts to combat climate change.

German leader, whose country has faced U.S. pressure since even before Trump administration to increase its defense spending, said: “We Germans and Europeans kw that we must take on more responsibility of our own in this partnership in 21st century.”

“America is and remains our most important ally but it expects of us — and rightly — greater efforts of our own to take care of our security and to stand up for our convictions in world," Merkel added. "And we Europeans have long since set out along this road.”