Merkel sees Germany at crossroads as she reflects on turbulent 2018

Berlin (dpa), Dec 31, 2018-  German Chancellor Angela Merkel in her annual New Year’s speech published on Sunday, called on her fellow countrymen to brace for Germany’s growing responsibility on the international stage and a further restructuring of the economy.   

Global cooperation will be essential to master these and other challenges, Merkel said.   

She specifically mentioned climate change, which she called a “question of fate”; the issue of migration; and the fight against international terrorism.   

Germany wanted to work towards solving these problems in its own-self interest while at the same time taking others’ interests into consideration, Merkel asserted.   

The chancellor acknowledged that her three-party coalition government had tested citizens’ patience at times in the past year. “First we needed a long time to even build a government, and when we had one, there was conflict and much preoccupation with ourselves,” she said.   

Public servants must do everything they can for domestic peace and cohesion and continually ask how they can personally contribute to this mission, she added.