Germany to be Represented by Macron Instead of Merz

As previously reported, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will not travel to Yerevan to participate in the eighth summit of the European Political Community (EPC).

In his place, Germany will be represented by French President Emmanuel Macron. A representative of the German government informed the dpa news agency that the French president is empowered to vote on behalf of Germany. According to the official explanation, this move has been mutually agreed upon and is highly regarded by both sides.

This will be the first EPC summit that the head of the German government will not attend. The reason cited for the absence is "other commitments." Specifically, the Chancellor's and CDU leader's agenda includes only one public event in Berlin, which is participation in a party leadership meeting.

The government’s announcement notes that the federal chancellor has previously attended two EPC meetings and continues to maintain active communications with participants. Olaf Scholz has attended five of the previous seven summits, while Friedrich Merz participated in meetings held in Albania and Denmark.

It is noteworthy that the practice of the French president and the German chancellor representing each other has been previously implemented during EU summits.