“For some weeks now, we have been seeing with increasing clarity the emergence of a world of great powers,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday (29 January), declaring that Europe had found “self-respect” in standing up for a rules-based global order.
Speaking to the German parliament, Merz called for a stronger NATO role within Europe while stressing continued cooperation with the United States. He said Europe would no longer be intimidated by tariff threats, following a recent standoff with U.S. President Donald Trump over Greenland.
“In recent weeks, we have been able to experience something of the joy of self-respect,” Merz said, adding that rules-based action and rules-based trade were not dead. “More and more countries around the world are recognising that the current global reorganisation also presents an opportunity for those who prefer rules to arbitrariness.”
Merz’s remarks come a week after tensions with Washington peaked over Greenland, raising fears of a rupture within NATO, the alliance that has underpinned Western security since the end of World War Two.
Trump had previously floated the threat of using tariffs in the dispute before backing away.
The German leader said the European Union had shown unity in resisting economic pressure. “Last week, we demonstrated that we in the EU can act swiftly when necessary. We were united in our determination not to be intimidated by tariff threats again,” he said.
His comments echoed those of French President Emmanuel Macron, who recently warned Europe would not yield to “bullies,” and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has called for greater European strategic independence.
Merz also pointed to EU trade agreements with South American bloc Mercosur and with India as evidence of Europe pushing ahead with free and fair trade, while urging the bloc to accelerate reforms and reduce excessive regulation.
In a separate dispute following the Greenland row, Merz pushed back against Trump’s remarks suggesting European forces avoided frontline combat in Afghanistan.
“Fifty-nine German soldiers lost their lives during the almost 20-year deployment in Afghanistan,” Merz said. “We will not allow this deployment to be denigrated or belittled.”
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Iran has reached an understanding with Oman on transit arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz, but the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils its commitments, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused U.S. government and Israel-aligned actors of manipulating energy markets to promote the war with Iran.
Russian strikes on the Kyiv region overnight killed 37 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian capital was under "virtually nonstop attack" from drones.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
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Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have formalised their new defensive alliance at the grouping’s first high-level meeting held Monday in Istanbul.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that Tehran is not pursuing a military conflict but promised a strong response to 'aggressors' while the Army and Revolutionary Guards said they carried out retaliatory attacks against U.S. bases in the region on Monday.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
Pakistan is set to take over the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation after the bloc’s leaders meet in Bishkek. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived on Friday to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and SCO Plus Summit, which run until 2 September.
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