German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva appear to have eased tensions sparked by Merz’s comments on the Amazon host city of COP30.
After talking to Lula on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa, Merz wrote on X that “next time in Belem, I’ll explore more — from dance steps to local food and the rainforest.”
Lula, meanwhile, shared a photo of the two leaders shaking hands in a post, saying Merz had invited him to Hanover in April to participate in the opening of the world’s largest industrial technology fair next year.
“Brazil will be a partner country at the fair. I confirmed my attendance and invited the Chancellor to make a state visit to Brazil,” Lula added.
Why did Merz say about COP30 host city Belem?
In a speech at the trade congress in Berlin on November 13, Merz said that he had asked the journalists accompanying him during his visit to Belem, the host city of the COP30, “who would like to stay in Brazil.”
Merz claimed that “no one raised their hand” and that “everyone was delighted to be back in Germany and to have left that place.”
In response, Lula said if Merz had gone to a bar, eaten and danced in the state of Para, of which Belem is the capital, “he would have realized that Berlin doesn’t even provide him with 10% of the quality of life that the state of Para and the city of Belem offer.”
Belem Mayor Igor Normando called Merz’s comments “arrogant and prejudiced,” while Para state Governor Helder Barbalho noted that Merz had made “a prejudiced speech that shows more about the one who gave it than about its topic.”
Despite facing a backlash in Brazil, the German chancellor refused to issue an apology.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
