Farewell visit
Merkel receives the country’s highest award in France
Merkel paid a farewell visit to France on Wednesday. Photo: Philippe Desmazes / AFP POOL via AP / dpa
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Merkel and Macron were not always of the same opinion, but on the visit to Beaune there was a warm farewell to the outgoing Chancellor – and a very personal thank you from Macron.
Cheering French people line the streets, and the outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel receives the highest award in the neighboring country.
And President Emmanuel Macron does not save on praise and charm: Merkel was honored in a festive setting during her farewell visit to France on Wednesday evening. The place to say goodbye, Beaune in Burgundy, where François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl met in 1993, was chosen because of its rich French heritage in the form of both historical monuments and viticulture, according to the Elysée Palace. «Bienvenue à Beaune, chère Angela. France loves you! ”Macron tweeted happily.
Reception in a crowd
On arrival, Macron and Merkel were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd in the city center, there were calls of welcome in German and there were also singing. After bathing in the crowd, both spouses and spouses visited a hospital foundation before retiring to an estate in the wine region for music and food. Macron and Merkel exchanged ideas personally behind closed doors and talked about international topics.
Again in front of the cameras, Macron presented the Chancellor with a document in which she was first mentioned 30 years ago as a participant in a delegation trip to Paris. Both of them patted each other on the shoulders and briefly fell into each other’s arms. As the Elysée Palace announced, the visit marked the end of a fruitful collaboration between the President and the Chancellor, both for Franco-German cooperation and at European level.
For her commitment to friendship between the two countries, Macron presented the Executive Chancellor with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. The Legion of Honor is the highest honor in France.
“Since you became Chancellor, France has learned to get to know you and then to love you,” said Macron. First Jacques Chirac was her counterpart, then President Nicolas Sarkozy during the financial crisis and the struggle for cohesion in the euro zone, then François Hollande in view of the terror and the refugee crisis and together they lived through the pandemic and worked on the future of Europe, according to Macron . During her tenure, Merkel had promoted Germany and worked for European cohesion, he praised the outgoing Chancellor.
“It’s a wonderful friendship with France and the President has taken me to a wonderful place where you can also experience France as it is outside of Paris, that’s also important,” said Merkel.
And Macron also had a few personal words of thanks ready: «I would like to thank you for teaching me so much and for accepting this stormy young president who wanted to move everything. I think we have achieved a lot together and have done a lot for Europe over the past few years. “