TIRANA – Chancellor Angela Merkel will not personally attend a meeting in the US with the leaders of the world’s major economies if President Donald Trump goes ahead with it, unless the course of the coronavirus spread changes by then, her office said Saturday as quoted by AP news agency.
After canceling the Group of Seven summit, originally scheduled for June 10-12 at Camp David, Trump said a week ago that he was again considering hosting an in-person meeting of world leaders because it would be a “great sign to all” of things returning to normal during the pandemic.
Immediately after that announcement, Merkel suggested she had not yet made up her mind on whether to attend in person or by video conference, but her office told the DPA news agency she has now made a decision.
“As of today, given the overall pandemic situation, she cannot commit to participating in person,” the office of the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said. It added that the chancellor would continue to monitor the coronavirus situation in case things change.
The US has recorded close to 1.75 million cases of the virus, according to DW on Saturday. Germany’s tally stands at approximately 183,000 confirmed cases. The US death toll has crossed 100,000, while Germany has recorded over 8,500 deaths.
A senior US official, who declined to be named told Politico on Saturday that Trump and Merkel had “heated disagreements on topics including NATO, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, and relations with China,” during a phone call this week. Merkel said she believes June is still too soon to reopen and hold large gatherings since the virus is still circulating, according to Politico. Trump was reportedly “furious over Merkel’s reluctance to attend the summit,” Politico reported. (Compiled from wires- argumentum.al)
