Kerry aims to renew US-Germany relationship

Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday he wants to renew the strength of the U.S. relationship with Germany this year.

At a joint news conference in Munich, Kerry told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the two countries could overcome “bumps in the road.”

{mosads}“The U.S.-German alliance is really the vital engine of the transatlantic partnership. We want this to be a year of renewal of the strength of that relationship. As the chancellor said, occasionally, there is an issue here or there. There are bumps in the road. But we have a combined vision and understanding of the set of values that bring us together and have for decades now,” Kerry said.

The two countries’ relationship became rocky in October when documents leaked by Edward Snowden revealed the National Security Agency had monitored Merkel’s communications.

Afterward, Merkel expressed outrage over the revelations, and President Obama reassured her that the U.S. is not and will not tap her phone calls. 

Earlier this month, Obama invited Merkel to Washington in the coming months.

Kerry met with Merkel in Germany to discuss a range of issues including negotiations with Iran, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and talks to end Syria’s civil war.

Germany and the U.S. “stand shoulder-to-shoulder” on the Syria and Iran issues, Merkel said at the news conference.

“The United States really values this relationship. Those aren’t just words. This is a very important relationship,” Kerry said. “We have an unprecedented number of global challenges facing us, and our cooperation is more important now than it really ever has been.”