Remarks by President Obama and German Chancellor Merkel before Bilateral Meeting

Grand Hyatt Hotel

Seoul, Republic of Korea

5:22 P.M. KST

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  It is a great pleasure to have a chance to meet with Chancellor Merkel.  Not only do I have great personal admiration for her, but obviously the strong alliance between our two countries is one of the cornerstones of prosperity and peace not just in the transatlantic relationship but in the world.

And we are very proud of the work that we’ve been doing together — as NATO allies, we obviously have a lot to talk about with respect to issues like Afghanistan; on economic issues, as G20 members, but also as two of the world’s largest economies, making sure that we can continue with the balanced and sustainable growth that all of us seek.

So I’m looking forward to a productive meeting not just here with Chancellor Merkel but as part of the G20.  And I’m confident that, as a consequence of the work that we have been doing and will continue to do, that we are going to be able to put the world on a path that ensures strong growth and opportunity for both of our peoples.

So it’s wonderful to see you again.

CHANCELLOR MERKEL:  (As translated.)  Well, I, too, am very glad to have had the opportunity to meet again.  I think we personally haven’t met since the Toronto meetings, so I think it’s a very good thing to yet again demonstrate that we are willing to share responsibility together and to use this meeting here to send a signal, really, a good signal for our global growth.

We have worked well together and continue to work well together on a number of areas, and I think in very crucial areas. And I think it’s very necessary to work together because only together will we be able to tackle the crucial problems in the world today — problems and issues such as Afghanistan, the upcoming NATO summit meeting, and also obviously this meeting of the G20.

So I am confident that here, too, we shall continue to share responsibility and to work well together.

END
5:26 P.M. KST