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Merkel to Skip Merz’s 70th Reception and Send Handwritten Congratulations

The gesture comes during a period of strained relations between the two CDU leaders.

Overview

  • Angela Merkel’s office says she will congratulate Chancellor Friedrich Merz with a handwritten note for his 70th birthday.
  • She will not attend the CDU/CSU parliamentary reception because she will be in Israel to receive an honorary doctorate from the Weizmann Institute for Science.
  • Merkel has received an invitation to the reception, which is planned in the Reichstag’s protocol hall.
  • The event is organized for CDU/CSU lawmakers, union state premiers, former parliamentary leaders and members of the Merz family.
  • Merz turns 70 on November 11, becoming the first German chancellor over 70 since Konrad Adenauer, and party circles say he also plans private time with family.