Former leaders Merkel, Obama meet in Washington

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel traveled to the United States and included time for a visit with former US President Barack Obama in Washington. The pair, known to have had a strong working relationship when they overlapped in office, met at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

"As president, I saw Chancellor Merkel lead through crises with her wise pragmatism, good humor and unrelenting moral compass — and I feel lucky to call her a friend," Obama wrote on Twitter.

Obama has already seen Merkel several times since he left office in 2017, and has always been full of praise for the German leader. In his 2020 memoir "A Promised Land," he called Merkel "reliable, honest, intellectually precise and friendly in a natural way."

In an interview with the German channel of RTL to promote the book, he added that she was "an outstanding political leader, not only for Germany, but for Europe and the world." He has also referred to her as a "good friend."

A spokeswoman for Merkel told the German news agency that the former chancellor had been in Washington since Monday and would return Thursday. Merkel is in the United States for "political talks after her time in office," the spokeswoman said.

After 16 years as Germany's chancellor, Merkel said upon leaving office late last year that she planned to leave politics entirely. She has remained relatively quiet publicly, though she has made comments condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine on several occasions.

es/sms (AFP, dpa)