Chancellor Friedrich Merz appears to have reconciled with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva following his widely criticized remarks regarding the Brazilian city of Belém. After the phone call, people close to Merz said that Lula had given the Chancellor tips on restaurant visits for his next visit to Belém and also told him dances he could try. The Chancellor then said: “Good, next time we will go dancing together.”
Merz previously said after returning from the World Climate Conference in Belém: “I asked some journalists who were with me in Brazil last week: Which of you wants to stay here? Nobody raised their hand,” he said. “They were all happy for us to be back in Germany, especially from where we were, Friday night into Saturday.”
No apology from Merz
That statement was made by many people Brazilbut also in Germany, it is considered insulting and offensive. Lula is also involved. Merz should go to a bar, dance there and try local cuisine, the president said, “because then he will realize that Berlin does not offer even ten percent of the quality that the state of Pará and the city of Belém offer.”
After his statement, Merz refused to apologize. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said the Chancellor had not expressed “disapproval” or even “disgust” towards the city. “He said we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and he linked it to Germany,” Cornelius said. Brazil is of course one of the most beautiful countries in the world. “But I don’t think it’s reprehensible for the German Chancellor to create a little hierarchy here.”
Merz has been criticized several times for similar statements. He recently spoke about issues in the city landscape in relation to migration policy; in January 2023 he described migrant children as “little pashas”.
