German government

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on April 23 met with a group of earthquake survivors in the southern province of Gaziantep, which was devastated by last year's disaster.

His trip to Gaziantep came as the second leg of a three-day tour in Türkiye, marking his first official visit to the country during his seven-year tenure.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on April 22 arrived in Istanbul as he embarked on a three-day tour to Türkiye, marking his first visit to the country in his seven-year duty as the head of the state.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, German Ambassador to Ankara Jürgen Schulz and Turkish Ambassador to Berlin Ahmet Başar Şen welcomed Steinmeier at Istanbul Airport.

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with the German government's special Western Balkans envoy Manuel Sarrazin on Monday to discuss topics including the upcoming meeting in Brussels, the situation in Kosovo-Metohija and Serbia's EU integration.

Minister of Economy Robert Habeck stated that the economic situation in Germany is exceptionally challenging during the presentation of the significantly lowered new government forecast for growth this year. The German government has adjusted its projection for economic growth in 2024 downward, from 1.3% to 0.2%.

BELGRADE - The signature on the Brussels Agreement is binding to Serbia, while the unsigned so-called Ohrid Agreement is not in the least so, former Security Information Agency director and Movement of Socialists founder Aleksandar Vulin said on Monday.

MUNICH - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday evening he had had many important meetings on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, including with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron and London's special Western Balkans envoy Stuart Peach, EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn and representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The German government has approved the deployment of armed forces in a European Union naval mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant ships from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia, a government spokesperson said on Friday.

Greece, France and Italy are among the countries that will participate in the mission, named Aspides, meaning protector.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky travels Friday to Berlin and Paris where he is due to sign security deals with the two European giants and seek further support for Kiev's battle against Russia.

BELGRADE - Whenever Germany showed concern for Serbia, that did not end well, Republika Srpska Senator Aleksandar Vulin, who was until recently head of Serbia's Security Information Agency, said on Tuesday, noting that Germany's concern had never been about Serbia's well-being.

Furious farmers opposed to German government plans to cut tax breaks for agriculture used tractors to block roads across the country on Monday in an escalating dispute.

The coordinated nationwide demonstration targeted motorway access ramps in particular, snarling traffic, and followed a smaller ill-tempered demonstration in Berlin last month.