Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has called on citizens in Germany to tolerate each other and at the same time stressed the need for international cooperation. "We will only master the challenges of our time if we stick together and work together with others across borders," Merkel said in her New Year's speech. Values such as openness, tolerance and respect have made the country strong - "we must work together for them".
The livelihoods of people are vulnerable - "and in a comprehensive sense," continued the Chancellor. In addition to climate change, she also cited the "governance and order of migration" and the fight against international terrorism as the most pressing tasks. "In our own interest, we want to solve all these questions, and we can do that best when we consider the interests of others," Merkel said in her New Year's speech, referring to "the doctrine of two world wars of the past century."
However, because this belief is no longer shared by all and "certainties of international cooperation" come under pressure, Germany must "stand up for its convictions more strongly, argue, fight" and assume more responsibility. Thus, the Federal Republic in the UN Security Council for global solutions. Germany takes over a seat on the board for two years starting in January.
In the speech Merkel also suggested self-critical tones. She knew that many citizens would have interfered with the federal government in the past year. "It took us a long time to form a government at all, and when we had it there was a row and a lot of work on ourselves," she said. Public servants would have to do everything in their power for the peace and cohesion of the country.
In her speech, the Chancellor defended her decision not to hold any political office after the current legislative period. "Democracy lives off the change and we all stand in time," she said. Public servants would have to "check again and again" what they personally could do for the cohesion of the country. That's what she did.