Heiko Maas has outlined his duties as Germany’s new top diplomat during a handover ceremony at the Foreign Ministry. Maas said Germany must foster closer cohesion in the EU and vowed to toughen the stance towards Russia.
Heiko Maas told foreign ministry staff during Wednesday’s handover speech that Germany would not “duck out of the way” of its international responsibilities and the challenges taking place on its door step.
There is a division in the world “between those who advocate for openness and tolerance, and those seeking a return to nationalism,” Maas said. This division, he said, would define German foreign policy over the coming years.
On the back of Maas’ approach to his new role as top diplomat, his first two official trips to neighboring countries will carry a great degree of symbolic value.
Immediately following his inauguration, the new foreign minister traveled to Paris to meet his new counterpart. Next week, he will travel the Polish capital of Warsaw for talks with officials from the nationalist conservative Law and Justice Party.
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