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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock kicked off a visit to the United States in Texas on Tuesday.
“You can’t understand the USA if you only travel to Washington,” Baerbock said in Austin.
“That’s why it is so important to me to come to the second largest state Texas, which exemplifies so many opportunities and so many challenges.”
Baerbock meets Texas governor
Baerbock met with Texas’ Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who has generated controversy over his tough stance against illegal immigration and his opposition to abortion.
She said they discussed several issues “where we have a completely different opinion,” including gun control and reproductive rights.
The German foreign minister also planned to meet with Latino leaders in the state as well as Houston’s Democratic Mayor Sylvester Turner.
She called Texas “a bellwether for America and for the future.”
Green tech on the agenda
Baerbock, who is a member of the environmentalist Green Party, also discussed the need to regulate critical technologies and harness green energy.
She visited Advario, which is building global supply chains for green ammonia, a climate-friendly hydrogen-based energy source.
She also visited Mobileye, which recently launched an electric autonomous driving project with German automaker Volkswagen.
The foreign minister said Texas “still has one foot in the fossil fuel economy of the past with its intensive use of oil and gas, yet at the same time is striding forth into the era of renewable energies.”
Baerbock will hold further talks with US officials the coming days, including with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington.
zc/wd (dpa, AFP)
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