No apology from Germany's Merz amid backlash over remarks about Belém

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will not apologize for his comments about Belém, the Amazonian city hosting the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) summit.

Merz's spokesman Stefan Kornelius attempted to play down the controversy on Wednesday after a severe backlash in Brazil, with Brazilian media and politicians voicing their outrage over the chancellor's remarks.

The poor city in the northern state of Pará was chosen as host city by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to reflect the Amazon's importance in global climate policy.

Merz travelled to Belém for a summit two weeks ago ahead of the negotiations. On his return to Berlin, Merz said he had asked journalists who accompanied him whether any of them wanted to stay in the city.

"No one raised their hand," Merz said. He argued that the reporters were "happy" to return to Germany, which he described as "one of the most beautiful countries in the world."

In response, Lula said Merz should have gone to a bar in Belém, danced and tried out the local cuisine.

"Then he would have realized that Berlin does not even offer him 10% of the quality that the state of Pará and the city of Belém provide," Lula charged.

Other Brazilian politicians were not so restrained. Eduardo Paes, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, reportedly called Merz a "son of Hitler" and a "Nazi" in a post on X that he later deleted.

The Diário do Centro do Mundo news portal wrote of an "outrageous comparison," while Belém's mayor described Merz's remarks as "unfortunate, arrogant and biased."

Kornelius sought to calm tensions on Wednesday, rejecting the view that Merz expressed "displeasure" or "disgust" about the city.

For the German chancellor to "establish a slight hierarchy" in terms of the world's most beautiful countries is not reprehensible, the spokesman insisted.

However, the remarks could overshadow Merz's pledge that Germany will contribute to Lula's landmark new rainforest fund, the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF).

German opposition unimpressed

German opposition parties were also unimpressed by Merz's remarks.

"One is beginning to wonder whether the chancellor can still make an appearance anywhere without putting Germany in a difficult position," said Katharina Dröge from the Greens. "The image the chancellor presented during his trip to Brazil was disastrous: tactless in foreign policy, unambitious in climate policy and simply disrespectful towards Brazil."

Violetta Bock, from The Left, said "Germany is embarrassing itself on the international stage" and called on the chancellor to apologize. "Merz's statements about Brazil are disrespectful, condescending and prejudiced," she said.

Frustration also emerged within Merz's coalition partners in the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

During a visit to Shanghai on Wednesday, Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil admitted that the remarks caused "irritation," even as he maintained that "the chancellor's visit to Belém was a very successful one."

SPD lawmaker Isabel Cademartori, meanwhile, said the comments play into "the stereotype of the 'arrogant German.'"

Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, also from the SPD, took a different tune, expressly praising Belém as a "great city.".

"I saw a tremendous amount of commitment, wonderful people, but also a lot of poverty," said the minister, who is involved in the ongoing climate negotiations. "This place not only highlights the outstanding importance of rainforests, it also encourages the international community to consider social issues and climate issues together."