Angela Merkel to face journalist questions for first time since retirement
June 7, 2022, 4:08 pm

Angela Merkel to face journalist questions for first time since retirement

This videograb taken from German TV channel ARD on March 18, 2020 shows German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressing the nation on the spread of the new coronavirus. (AFP)

The Anews reported, citing the DPA, former German chancellor Angela Merkel faces questions from a journalist on Tuesday evening (June 7) for the first time since she stepped down from politics.

Among other things, her comments on her policies towards Russia and her relationship with President Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine are eagerly awaited.

According to the invitation, the 67-year-old wants to take a stand on "the challenging questions of our time" in a conversation with German news magazine Der Spiegel's reporter Alexander Osang, who has written profiles of Merkel several times.

According to the report, the event has been organized by the publisher Aufbau and the Berliner Ensemble theatre company.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives for the Libya summit in Berlin, Germany, January 19, 2020. (Reuters)

Merkel stepped down after last year's general election and planned to rest for several months after serving as chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021.

In recent months, Merkel had said she did not wish to speak publicly as a retired leader who should not interfere from the sidelines. Last week she finally said that she supported all efforts by the German government, the EU, the US, NATO, the G7 and the UN to "put a stop to this barbaric war of aggression by Russia."

Angela Merkel breaks silence to denounce Russia's 'barbaric' war

During her time in office, Merkel had always made a point of not letting the thread of communication with Putin break despite her personal dislike of the Russian leader, but her handling of the Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 has come in for much criticism for increasing German dependence on Moscow.

It should be noted that other topics expected to come up are her activities since leaving office and her plans for the future.

Source: anews

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
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