Chancellor says he didn’t find decent bread in Angola after controversy over Belém

The chancellor was referring to the trip he made to Angola — his first visit to the African continent since taking office. At the beginning of the week, he participated in the European Union summit with the African Union in the Angolan capital, where 40 heads of state and government discussed security, crisis management and economic cooperation.

After the appearance at the bakery, some German newspapers highlighted the excerpt of the speech about the quality of bread in Angola. “Chancellor Friedrich Merz once again attracted attention with a disconcerting statement after one of his trips abroad,” published the online version of the German weekly Die Zeit.

‘Happy to leave,’ said Merz

Last week, Merz stated that the Germans were happy to leave Belém after COP30. The comment occurred during a speech at the German Commerce Congress, in reference to the time he spent in the capital of Pará for the Leaders’ Summit, on the 6th and 7th of November.

Ladies and gentlemen, we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I asked some journalists who were with me in Brazil last week: ‘Which of you would like to stay here?’ Nobody raised their hand. Everyone was happy that we returned to Germany on the night of Friday to Saturday, especially from where we were.
Friedrich Merz

The chancellor’s statement caused unease between the two countries. Rebutting the statements, President Lula (PT) said that “Berlin does not offer 10% of the quality” of the state and Belém. “I can tell you that Pará has emerged from anonymity”, he added.