German Chancellor minimizes criticism of Belém and says he will meet Lula

The chancellor’s spokesman minimized criticism made by Merz. At a conference, Stefan Karnelius reported that the trip to Brazil was “very positive” and that “there is no doubt that Brazil is our biggest economic partner in South America.” Furthermore, he stated that, when praising Germany, Chancellor Merz did not mean to say that there are no other beautiful countries in the world.

Origin of the confusion between the chancellor and Brazil

After leaving COP30, chancellor said Germans were happy to leave Belém. The comment occurred last week during a speech at the German Commerce Congress, in reference to the time spent in the capital of Pará for the Leaders’ Summit, held 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, the night of Friday to Saturday, especially from that place 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.

*With international agencies