United States of America President, Joe Biden, will visit Germany between October 10 and 13, the White House said.
Biden will travel on to Angola after his German stay, the White House added. The president had long promised a trip to the African continent but had repeatedly postponed it.
It will be Biden’s first bilateral visit to the German capital as president. He will meet with leading German politicians “to further strengthen the close bond the United States and Germany share as Allies and friends and coordinate on shared priorities,” according to a statement released by the White House.
Biden will also reinforce the two countries’ commitment to democracy and fighting hatred and anti-Semitism.
The outgoing president also wants to thank Germany for its support for Ukraine and express his support for “hosting US service members, and contributing to the security of the United States, Germany, and the entire NATO Alliance.”
The White House did not initially provide additional details about Biden’s trip.
The Berlin police are already clarifying special shift and operations for the trip. Last week, the US newspaper The Hill reported on the president’s travel plans, citing Biden’s entourage, but without an exact date.
The Democrat attended the G7 summit in the Bavarian Alpine resort of Elmau in 2022 and made a refuelling stop at the US military base in Ramstein, but has not yet made a working or state visit to Germany during his presidency.
The 81-year-old is due to leave office in January. He bowed out of the race for a second term in July under great pressure from his own party and handed the baton to his vice president, Kamala Harris.
But now without a campaign to run, Biden has more time for official business – and to work on his political legacy in the remaining months before he leaves the White House.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has travelled to the US capital several times during Biden’s presidency – but always on working visits and not on a state visit, which is accompanied by a particular pomp and ceremony.
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