German Chancellor Merz just wanted home, Berlin says, after Brazil remark irks Lula

BERLIN (Reuters) -A remark by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about Brazil that offended President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been taken out of context, a German government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Merz, at a trade congress last week, described asking journalists who had travelled with him to Brazil for the COP30 climate conference whether they wanted to remain in the country.

"Not one hand was raised. We were all glad to be back in Germany from that place," Merz told the audience.  

The comment adds to a list of gaffes Merz has made over his political career, such as calling sons of Muslim parents "little pashas" or insinuating that migrants ruin the German cities' "streetscape".

MERZ SHOULD HAVE GONE OUT DANCING, SAYS LULA   

The comment prompted Lula to remark at an event in northern Brazil on Tuesday that Merz should have gone dancing or to a bar while visiting the area around COP30 host city Belem earlier this month. 

"Then he would have realized that Berlin doesn't offer him 10% of the quality that the state of Para and the city of Belem offer," Lula said.

HOME SWEET HOME?

The German government spokesperson said Merz's remark was being presented in "an incriminating way" and instead referred to how tired the delegation was.

"The remark essentially referred to the delegation's desire, after a very tiring overnight flight and a long day in Belem, to also begin the return journey," they said, adding Brazil is Germany's most important partner in Latin America and no damage had been done to their relationship as a result of the spat.

"The chancellor's impression of this Latin America trip, this very short Latin America trip, was quite positive."

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke in Berlin and Isabel Teles in Sao PauloWriting by Miranda Murray; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)