Merkel’s remarks came in the run-up to her meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in the German city of Aachen on 22 January, when the two leaders are due to sign a new Franco-German treaty on cooperation and integration.
In a video message on Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel specifically touted friendly ties between Berlin and Paris, which she said are essentially self-evident.
The 1963 document, which was signed by then-French President Charles de Gaulle and then-German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, enshrined the post-war reconciliation between Germany and France.