Angela Merkel guarantees that she does not regret the policies she took and that led Germany and Europe to depend on Russia in terms of energy.
The former German chancellor is in Lisbon this Thursday for the delivery of the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, of which she is president of the jury.
At a press conference, asked about the choice she made for the energy business with Russia, for the Nordstream gas pipelines, Merkel declared that, at the time, the Russian solution seemed to her the best decision.
“I do not regret the decisions I made. At that time, it seemed to me that it was the right strategy,” said the former foreign minister, assuring that “since the cold war, Russia has been a reliable supplier of energy.”
Acknowledging that Russia’s recent actions have “changed things”, Angela Merkel admitted that the new German government now has to respond to the problems that arise.
The former chancellor pointed out, however, that since the end of her term in office “it became clear” the need to invest in other forms of energy and speed up the fight against climate change.
Angela Merkel is, this year, the president of the jury of the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, replacing Jorge Sampaio in the position.
The award, endowed with one million dollars, was awarded to the Intergovernmental Science and Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The award ceremony will take place this afternoon, at 6:00 p.m., in the Great Auditorium of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in Lisbon.
Source: TSF
