PM call with Chancellor Merkel: 8 February 2021

The Prime Minister spoke to German Chancellor Merkel this evening.

The leaders discussed the difficult road ahead on the coronavirus pandemic and agreed that governments should continue to work together to roll out vaccines around the world. They discussed the importance of support for the COVAX vaccine distribution scheme to ensure equitable vaccine access and resolved to cooperate closely through the G7 and beyond on our shared fight against coronavirus.

The Prime Minister and Chancellor Merkel discussed efforts to tackle climate change and reduce global emissions. The Prime Minister welcomed German leadership in this area and looked forward to our governments working closely together in the run-up to the UK-hosted COP26 Summit.

The leaders discussed a number of international issues including the situations in Afghanistan, Libya and Iran. The Prime Minister underlined the value of UK-German cooperation in these areas, both bilaterally and as NATO allies. Both leaders condemned Russia’s ongoing detention of Alexey Navalny. The Prime Minister reiterated the need for Russia to declare its Novichok programme and uphold its international obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The Prime Minister and Chancellor Merkel looked forward to seeing one another as soon as the coronavirus situation allowed.