Angela Merkel left the post of German Chancellor. On December 2, a solemn ceremony was held in Berlin, which is traditionally seen off by high-ranking politicians. About 200 people were admitted to the event, a quarter of them were ministers, whom Merkel led over the 16 years in power. She was escorted by the light of torches with an orchestra, she herself gave a seven-minute speech in which she summed up the work. How does Angela Merkel remember the world? And how did the ceremony go? About this – Lilia Galyavieva.
The first woman to head the German government. The figure that had a key influence on the development of the 2015 European migration crisis. She who half of her term tried to reconcile Russia and Ukraine, and one of the few who could find a common language with President Vladimir Putin.
There were many contradictions in their relationship with the Russian leader: Nord Stream 2, support for Alexei Navalny. It is difficult to call their relationship friendship, but maybe it’s for the better, says Vladislav Belov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
“They have no personal chemistry at all. They are bound by respect for each other, this is important. The last meeting was tough enough. There is no warmth, professionalism – yes, therefore, I think, Vladimir Putin expresses gratitude to Merkel precisely for the working relationship, despite the personal grievances that she inflicted on him with her tough stance. “
Today Merkel supports 80% of the German population. Not everyone agreed with the decisions of the Chancellor; protests against her policies were taking place in the country every now and then. But from a purely human point of view, she is pleasant to citizens: Angela was born into a simple family, being at the head of the country’s government, she did not see any problems in shopping in an ordinary supermarket without being accompanied by security. And now they see her off with great warmth, Vladislav Belov continues:
“She left at the top of her career, this is a great rarity. Merkel could have worked one more term without any problems.
She is not leaving as a lame duck. Everyone has recognized this, they will reckon with it. It can be attributed to the negative the fact that she was unable to bring up a new generation of plural receivers, but how much did she do? [Гельмут] Kohl or someone else from the chancellors. “
The results of Merkel’s policy, however, will have an impact on the life of both Germany and Europe for a long time to come. This is primarily about the Chancellor’s decision to let 2 million migrants from the Middle East into the country and her decisive statement “We can handle it.” It would be a stretch to say that Germany coped with it, says Olga Pavlenko, Head of the Department of Foreign Regional Studies and Foreign Policy of the Russian State Humanitarian University:
“Her biggest miscalculation is that she opened the doors to migrants and announced that the EU is morally responsible for their placement in Europe. A serious outburst of terrorism, conflicts on ethno-religious grounds, which periodically flare up, are just the beginning. ”
In her farewell speech, Angela Merkel could not help but mention this moment. But she still stands on the position that it was necessary to do this: “I urge you to look at the world through the eyes of other people and listen even to the opinion of those with whom you fundamentally disagree. A wonderful future awaits us, it is only important not to succumb to despondency, envy, pessimism, but to work with joy in our hearts. I myself have always adhered to this approach when I lived in the GDR, and even more so it is appropriate now that we are all free. To find this joy in my heart, I wish all of us and our country in the future. “
In memory of her youth in the GDR, Angela Merkel asked the Bundeswehr orchestra to perform the hit of those times – the song “You Forgotten the Color Film” by the “mother of German punk-rock” Nina Hagen. I had to compose the wind part from scratch, but it was worth it: during the performance of the hit, Merkel had tears in her eyes.
This concludes the ceremony. Merkel said goodbye to the guests, got into the car and, waving to the crowd, left the event. In a few days she will cease to be acting. Chancellor of Germany, she will be replaced by Olaf Scholz. What will Merkel herself do? In one of the last interviews, she admitted that at first she would rest a little, and then she would see.
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