Merkel: Didn’t discuss sanctions on Russia over Syria with Obama, EU leaders

Obama is joining the leaders of key European countries to discuss an array of security and economic challenges facing the trans-Atlantic partners as the US prepares for President-elect Donald Trump to take office in January.

In what is likely the last such gathering before he leaves office in January and President-elect Donald Trump moves into the White House, Obama brought his message of America’s enduring unity and cooperation to the heart of Europe Thursday, stressing to Germans and all Europeans that the United States will continue to engage with the world.

He urged the leaders to look beyond their national crises and focus on the 28-member bloc as a whole, as “the achievements that we have seen on this continent, in contrast to a divided Europe of the previous century, are ones that remind us of how important it is that we work together”.

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But he also had a jab at Trump’s populist campaign in what has been dubbed the “post-fact era”, saying that “if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems”.

Merkel also reminded Russian Federation that peace in Europe had been possible over the past several years only because all nations respected the boundaries drawn up after World War II.

“The decision for a fourth term is – after 11 years in office – anything but trivial – for the country, the party and, I say it consciously in this order, for me personally”, she told reporters, striking a serious, nearly sombre, tone.

President Barack Obama joined the leaders of major European countries in Germany Friday to discuss security and economic challenges facing the trans-Atlantic partners.

Fears about the integration of nearly 900,000 migrants previous year, many from war zones in the Middle East, have dented Merkel´s popularity but her government argues that many will in the long run be a valuable part of the labour force.

Obama praised Merkel as a leader who had shown “her integrity, her truthfulness, her thoughtfulness”. “But she’s tough”, said Mr Obama during his sixth official visit to Germany, before heading off to Lima, Peru, for a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.

But Mrs May said: “I will be able to update Chancellor Merkel on where we are on our Brexit preparations”.

She will also try to get in a few words on Brexit during her very own one-on-one with the Merkel.

“Observing the potential repercussions of Trump’s election victory on Europe, I think that the task is even bigger now than it was before the American election and so I would think that she might feel that the job isn’t quite done”, she told AFP. “She is, as it were, the anti-Trump”, party ally Stanislaw Tillich, premier of the state of Saxony, told the RND newspaper group, adding she stood for reliability and predictability. “However, I hope that common sense will prevail”.

Acknowledging that Spain has been an European Union member for 30 years, Angela Merkel said the countries had similar aims and enjoyed warm relations.

However observers said the recent seismic shifts in global politics could drive traditionally risk-adverse German voters back into her arms.

The EU leaders and Obama did not discuss introduction of new anti-Russia sanctions in relation to the situation in Syria, the German chancellor said. “So Germany and France have a huge responsibility”.