Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday told her countrymen that Germany must “stand fast, argue, and fight for our own convictions” and take on greater responsibilities at a time when multilateralism is facing intense pressure.
In her national New Year’s address, Merkel said long-held certainties about international cooperation were being put to the test.
Climate change, immigration and the fight against terrorism will require global cooperation, she said.
“For our own interests, we want to solve all these questions, and we can do that best when we also take into consideration the interests of others,” she said in a speech to be broadcast in full later Monday.
“That is the lesson from two world wars of the last century,” she said, warning that “certainties about international cooperation is falling under pressure. In our own interest, we must take on more responsibilities.”
Referring to Germany taking on a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council in 2019 and 2020, the leader of the European economic powerhouse said her country would push for “global solutions.”
– with reporting by Agence France-Presse