Human Interest

King Charles hails ‘special’ UK-Germany bond in Bundestag speech

Berlin, Mar 30 (EFE).- Britain’s King Charles III praised the “special bond” between the United Kingdom and Germany during an address to the Bundestag on Thursday.

“Today it gives me particular pride to be with you once again, now as King and to renew the special bond of friendship between our two countries,” he said during his speech to the German parliament.

The King is making his first overseas trip as monarch since his mother Queen Elizabeth died last year.

He described how his mother’s state visit in 1965 had helped heal some of the wounds of WWII between the two nations, and condemned Russia for returning the scourge of war to Europe.

“Countless lives have been destroyed, freedom and human dignity have been trampled in the most brutal way [and] the security of Europe has been threatened”.

But he said the world had “not merely stood by”, and praised “Germany and the UK” for showing “vital leadership” in defending Ukraine.

“As Europe’s two largest donors to Ukraine, we have responded decisively. We have taken decisions that might previously have seemed unimaginable,” the King said.

He also praised the two countries’ roles in tackling climate change, in particular wind power, trade of electricity and the “accelerating expansion of hydrogen economies”.

“These innovations are vital in combating the existential challenge of global warming and climate change which confronts us all,” the King said.

“Faced with so many shared challenges, the UK and Germany are together providing leadership to secure our shared future.”

Ahead of his speech to the Bundestag, the first to be delivered by a king, Charles III met with German chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The King, who is traveling with his wife Camilla, had been due to visit France this month but was forced to cancel the trip because of protests against the French government’s pension reforms.EFE

ber-ks/ch

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