BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel does not fear that more countries will leave the EU, she told a German newspaper as the bloc’s leaders prepare to celebrate 60 years of union on Saturday days before Britain files for divorce.
Prime Minister Theresa May will next Wednesday launch a two-year countdown to Brexit.
Asked if she feared other countries would quit the bloc, Merkel told the Passauer Neue Presse: “No. Individual member states of course have different ideas about how we shape the future, but the overall way forward is clear: More cooperation.”
She pointed to defense, control of the EU’s external borders, economic policy and the fight against militancy as areas for cooperation.
Merkel said May’s impending letter to begin the Brexit process would not overshadow the EU’s 60th anniversary summit.
“The work for the coming years will go in both directions: On the one hand, the exit negotiations with Britain, and on the other considerations about making the EU of 27 members fit for the future,” she added in the interview published on Friday.
Asked whether EU accession negotiations with Turkey should be broken off, Merkel replied: “We should await the vote on the referendum in Turkey and everything else.”
Turkey is planning an April 16 referendum on constitutional changes that would extend President Tayyip Erdogan’s powers.
Merkel said she took very seriously a European legal report that calls Turkey’s proposed constitutional changes a big setback for democracy. Turkey has rejected the report.
Turning to relations with the US, Merkel said she had stressed the extent of German investments there in talks with US President Donald Trump last week.
“Trade agreements should bring benefits to both sides, and we need to negotiate on that,” she said. “Now we will see whether we can revive negotiations on our TTIP trade and investment agreement.”
German officials have said the stalled US-European trade deal known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is “on ice” but talks could be rekindled if there is US interest.
Merkel does not expect more EU departures after Brexit
Merkel does not expect more EU departures after Brexit
Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University
- Megawati was recognized for her leadership and contributions to social, legal affairs
- She has received 10 other honorary degrees from Indonesian and foreign institutions
JAKARTA: Megawati Sukarnoputri, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president and was the country’s only female head of state to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the title.
Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno and chairwoman of the country’s largest political party, the PDIP, served as president from 2001 to 2004.
The 79-year-old was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs in Riyadh on Monday during a ceremony overseen by Princess Nourah University’s acting president, Dr. Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.
“This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia,” the university said in a statement.
This is Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has received similar degrees from Indonesian and foreign universities, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and the Soka University of Japan in 2020.
She has also been awarded the title of honorary professor by several institutions, including by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.
“We gather at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge and public service … To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” Megawati said in her acceptance speech.
“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to any values, culture or tradition. It is actually a condition for nations that believe in their future … A great nation is one that is able to harness all of its human potential. A strong nation is one that does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”
Megawati is the longest-serving political leader in Indonesia. Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections took place during her presidency, consolidating the country’s transition to democracy after the downfall of its longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.
