BSS
  07 Jul 2024, 08:50

New UK foreign minister in Germany for first trip abroad

BERLIN, July 7, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Britain's newly appointed Foreign Secretary David Lammy travelled to Germany Saturday in his first trip abroad a day after Labour won a landslide victory, calling for a "reset" in relations with European allies.

Lammy, 51, held talks with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, who underlined that "the United Kingdom is an indispensable part of Europe".

She added that Germany is "working with the new UK government to see how the UK can move closer to the EU", the German foreign ministry wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Lammy, who replaced Conservative David Cameron as foreign secretary, also posted photos of his meeting with Baerbock.

"It's time to reset our relationship with our European friends and allies. That's why I'm in Germany, on my first visit as Foreign Secretary," he wrote on X.

The ministers discussed issues from boosting NATO's support for Ukraine to the situation in the Middle East to climate change.

"Together @ABaerbock and I will address shared threats and support Ukraine," wrote Lammy.

He also added that they "still made time for the football -- come on England", in the post that included a photo of the ministers watching Saturday's quarter-final clash against Switzerland on a laptop.

Germany is hosting Euro 2024 and England advanced to the semi-finals after beating Switzerland on penalties.