Merkel said Thursday during a press conference that there was far more common ground with Washington now that Biden has replaced Trump.

Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel assured US President Joe Biden in a phone call on Monday that they would work together to tackle international challenges. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert announced this in the evening. Accordingly, she also invited him to Germany as soon as the corona pandemic allows such a visit.

According to the information, Merkel declared Germany’s willingness to take on responsibility in dealing with international tasks together with its European and transatlantic partners. The Chancellor and the US President agreed that increased international efforts were necessary to cope with the corona pandemic. In this context, Merkel welcomed the US return to the World Health Organization.

The White House announced that Biden had conveyed his wish to Merkel to strengthen relations between Germany and the US and to revive the transatlantic alliance – also through NATO and with the EU.

Further topics of the conversation were reportedly foreign policy issues, especially Afghanistan and Iran, as well as trade and climate policy. Merkel also welcomed the decision to return the US to the Paris climate agreement.

Biden had already called British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday.

When asked on Monday whether it was a bad sign for Germany that Biden first phoned London and Paris, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: “You can see it that way, you don’t have to see it that way. I think it is essentially important for us which topics we deal with. And I am very confident that we are facing great opportunities and that it is up to us what we do with them.

© 2021 DR