French President cancels state visit to Germany
(Photo: IMAGO/Xinhua)
Berlin, Paris Because of the ongoing riots in France, President Emmanuel Macron is postponing his state visit to Germany, which was planned for Monday and Tuesday. This was announced on Saturday by the Office of the Federal President in Berlin. “The visit should be made up for as soon as possible,” the written statement said. Macron called Steinmeier on Saturday afternoon and informed him about the situation in France. He asked for the postponement. The Elysée Palace also confirmed this. The ARD capital studio had previously reported about it.
Steinmeier regretted the cancellation, but he fully understands the situation in the neighboring country, the statement said. The Federal President follows the development with great attention. He hopes “that the violence on the streets will end as soon as possible and that social peace can be restored,” said Steinmeier.
The riots were triggered by the death of a 17-year-old during a police check on Tuesday. A motorcycle patrol in Nanterre near Paris stopped 17-year-old Nahel at the wheel of a car in the morning. When the young man suddenly drove off, a deadly shot was fired from the police officer’s service weapon. The incident caused dismay across the country, and France has been shaken by violent unrest ever since. For the fourth night in a row, there were riots with several hundred arrests, looting and arson attacks. The young man was to be buried in Nanterre this Saturday.
It would have been the first state visit by a French president to Germany in 23 years. Macron and his wife Brigitte wanted to arrive in Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg on Sunday evening. Further stations of the visit would have been Berlin on Monday and Dresden on Tuesday. There, Macron wanted to give a keynote address on Franco-German relations in front of the Frauenkirche. From the point of view of the Office of the Federal President, the visit was intended to celebrate Franco-German friendship and at the same time to open a new chapter.
It is not the first time this year that domestic political events in France have had a negative impact on foreign policy plans. In the spring, the visit of British King Charles III was canceled because of the pension protests in France. canceled at short notice.
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