Overview
- Merz made the bread comment during a visit to a Hamburg bakery after attending the EU–AU summit in Luanda, saying he sought a “decent piece of bread” at a hotel buffet and did not find one.
- He previously said journalists were happy to leave Belém after COP30, a line published by the German government that prompted rebukes from Brazilian officials and opposition criticism in Germany.
- Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reiterated his displeasure on Wednesday, urging Merz to experience Pará’s culture and cuisine before judging Belém.
- Berlin’s spokesperson Steffan Kornelius has rejected calls for an apology over the Belém remark, arguing the statement was taken out of context and did not harm ties with Brazil.
- Merz has since posted that he intends to return to Belém to explore local dance, food, and the rainforest, as German and Brazilian media highlight his broader record of contentious offhand remarks.