German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, according to a statement.
Merkel is paying her last visit to the UK as Germany’s chancellor before leaving the office in coming months.
-The Prime Minister [Boris Johnson] welcomed Chancellor Angela Merkel to Chequers today, where they agreed a number of new initiatives to expand links between the UK and Germany- a statement from Johnson’s office said following their meeting.
-I’m very pleased to welcome Angela here on the last of the 22 visits you have made to the UK in your 16 years as German Chancellor- Johnson said at a joint news conference following the meeting.
-In the course of that time some things have changed beyond recognition but for much of your tenure it was certainly a tradition, Angela, for England to lose to Germany in international football tournaments- he said.
-I’m obviously grateful to you for breaking with that tradition, just for once- Johnson said, referring to England national football team's recent 2-0 victory over the German team.
He said: -Angela, on behalf of the UK, I want to thank you for your truly historic commitment to not just to the UK-German relationship but to global diplomacy more generally. I think over the last year, 18 months in particular, your scientific expertise has been instrumental in guiding the global response to the pandemic, and, as I was saying, a commitment to science and research is something our counties share and want to develop together. It is no coincidence that two of the world’s most successful coronavirus vaccines – Pfizer Biontech and Oxford-AstraZeneca – came out of German and British labs.-
Merkel, for her part, said: “It is, now that Britain has left the European Union, a good opportunity to open a new chapter in our relationship.”
-Obviously this was not a voluntary offer on my side to create the right mood for this visit but I have to accept it- Merkel responded to Johnson’s remarks of football defeat in EURO 2020.
-You deserved it but we were a little bit sad but now the best of luck to the British team- she added.
Merkel is also expected to visit Queen Elizabeth II.