Bavaria’s state premier stated he plans to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin next yr, stepping on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s foreign-policy turf a day after clashing with her over refugee coverage. Horst Seehofer, whose Christian Social Union party bash guidelines Bavaria is a component of Merkel’s governing coalition nationally, is among the most outstanding judges of her open-door stance on asylum seekers. On Russia, he stated it is “realpolitik” to try to contain Putin in tackling global crises. “We can not solve the conflicts of our times without or against Russia,” Seehofer stated in a speech to a CSU conference on Sat. in Munich, which is home to corporations akin to Siemens AG Bayerische Motoren Werke AG. Efforts by the CSU to show autonomy from Merkel’s larger Christian Democratic Union have increased this yr as Bavarian politicians blame the chancellor for encouraging Europe’s biggest refugee inflow since World War II. Within the conflict in japanese Ukraine, Merkel is insisting in that economic sanctions against Russia stay in place until a peace plan negotiated with Putin in Feb. is fully carried out. After complex Merkel on Fri. to cap the assortment of asylum seekers, Seehofer backed off, saying he wants the CDU-CSU alliance to last while making the Bavarian party bash a “bulwark” against the “radical right.” “We have a first-class chancellor who’s doing extraordinary work and a smart, intelligent job of representing us internationally,” the Bavarian premier stated.

Read more…Merkel’s Bavarian Ally Plans Putin Visit in Bid for Global Stage