BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Saturday he will hold talks with European allies on a joint response to US tariffs, ahead of a visit to Washington to meet President Donald Trump.
“We will have a very clear European position on this, because customs policy is a matter for the European Union, not for individual member states,” Merz told the ARD broadcaster.
“I will be in Washington in just over a week,” he added. “And I will go to Washington with a common European position.”
Trump on Friday imposed an additional 10 percent tariff on imports into the United States after after the Supreme Court had struck down many of his sweeping duties imposed last year.
On Saturday Trump said he was raising the rate to 15 percent.
While noting Trump’s additional 10-percent tariff, Merz said he nevertheless expected German exporters to face fewer duties in the future and saw good news in the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“For me, there is a reassuring element in yesterday’s Supreme Court decision: the separation of powers in the USA still seems to be working,” he said. “That is good news.”
Germany’s Merz seeks ‘clear European position’ on tariffs before US trip
https://arab.news/p88za
Germany’s Merz seeks ‘clear European position’ on tariffs before US trip
- “Customs policy is a matter for the European Union, not for individual member states,” Merz said
- “I will go to Washington with a common European position“
Saudi ambassador becomes first foreign envoy to meet Bangladesh’s new PM
- Tarique Rahman took oath as PM last week after landslide election win
- Ambassador Abdullah bin Abiyah also meets Bangladesh’s new FM
Dhaka: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Dhaka became on Sunday the first foreign envoy to meet Bangladesh’s new Prime Minister Tarique Rahman since he assumed the country’s top office.
Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party made a landslide win in the Feb. 12 election, securing an absolute majority with 209 seats in the 300-seat parliament.
The son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and former President and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, he was sworn in as the prime minister last week.
The Saudi government congratulated Rahman on the day he took the oath of office, and the Kingdom’s Ambassador Abdullah bin Abiyah was received by the premier in the Bangladesh Secretariat, where he also met Bangladesh’s new foreign minister.
“Among the ambassadors stationed in Dhaka, this is the first ambassadorial visit with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman since he assumed office,” Saleh Shibli, the prime minister’s press secretary, told Arab News.
“The ambassador conveyed greetings and best wishes to Bangladesh’s prime minister from the king and crown prince of Saudi Arabia … They discussed bilateral matters and ways to strengthen the ties among Muslim countries.”
Rahman’s administration succeeded an interim government that oversaw preparations for the next election following the 2024 student-led uprising, which toppled former leader Sheikh Hasina and ended her Awami League party’s 15-year rule.
New Cabinet members were sworn in during the same ceremony as the prime minister last week.
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is a former UN official who served as Bangladesh’s national security adviser during the interim government’s term.
He received Saudi Arabia’s ambassador after the envoy’s meeting with the prime minister.
“The foreign minister expressed appreciation for the Saudi leadership’s role in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East and across the Muslim Ummah. He also conveyed gratitude for hosting a large number of Bangladeshi workers in the Kingdom and underscored the significant potential for expanding cooperation across trade, investment, energy, and other priority sectors, leveraging the geostrategic positions of both countries,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The Saudi ambassador expressed his support to the present government and his intention to work with the government to enhance the current bilateral relationship to a comprehensive relationship.”
Around 3.5 million Bangladeshis live and work in Saudi Arabia. They have been joining the Saudi labor market since 1976, when work migration to the Kingdom was established during the rule of the new prime minister’s father.
Bangladeshis are the largest expat group in the Kingdom and the largest Bangladeshi community outside Bangladesh and send home more than $5 billion in remittances every year.
