Germany and Argentina have agreed on fostering multilateral trade and protecting the environment from climate change, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday during a visit to the South American country.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto told German Chancellor Angela Merkel he wanted a significant increase in trade with the European Union, vowing to complete a new trade deal by year's end.
She was speaking of Europe's handling of migrants from Africa and Syria, but coming in Mexico the parallels to U.S. President Donald Trump's call to wall the entire U.S. -Mexico border were unavoidable.
"In today's world, marked by uncertainty, countries should work hand in hand", Pena Nieto said, promising to protect foreign investments during the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which includes Canada. Recently, she said the United States under Trump was no longer a reliable ally for Europe.
Merkel's positive comments on bilateral trade were a far cry from Trump's vow to stop block German vehicle exports to the US last month.
Clamping down, Trump team puts the 'brief' in press briefing
White House spokesman Sean Spicer takes a question at a press briefing at the White House on June 20, 2017 . That's what Spicer claimed Tuesday afternoon during the first on-camera press briefing in over a week.
Malcorra said the retreat of the United States from trade talks had opened a window for the European Union to become a strong player in multilateral, region-to-region accords. "And Germany is not always an easy partner", Merkel told reporters.
Merkel, who faces re-election this year, has been on a tour to rally support among Group of 20 nations ahead of a July 7-8 summit in Hamburg. He estimated trade between Mexico and Germany at an annual $18 billion, saying the EU-Mexico trade deal would shore up trade between the two countries.
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel delivers a speech next to Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto (2R) and President of the Supreme Court Luis Maria Aguilar before dinner at National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico June 9, 2017.
Instead of barriers, what was needed was raising the living standards and opportunities in the afflicted countries in order to effectively manage large-scale migration, Merkel said.
Merkel praised Mexico's "strong commitment to free trade", in a veiled jab at Trump's attacks on globalisation.
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