Germany's Baerbock to focus on crises, not run for chancellor

Annalena Baerbock wants to concentrate fully on her role as German foreign minister and is not seeking to run for the top job as chancellor again.

Instead of being tied up in running for chancellor, she wants to devote all her energy to her current task in view of the international crises, the Green politician explained in an interview on the US television channel CNN on the fringes of the NATO summit in Washington.

"Obviously, the world is a totally different one than at the last German national elections," said Baerbock. "In the light of Russia’s war of aggression and now also with regard to the dramatic situation in the Middle East, it needs more diplomacy, and not less. Because otherwise, others will fill this gap."

In the interview conducted by CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, Baerbock added: "And therefore, in these times of crises, I believe that political responsibility means as a foreign minister not being tied up in a candidacy for German chancellorship.

"Instead, continuing to use all my energy as foreign minister to my role of building trust and building cooperation, building reliable structures for so many partners around the world and in Europe who count on this."

Baerbock, who had agreed with fellow Green Party member and current Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck to run as the Greens' candidate for chancellor before the 2021 federal election, also assured that "obviously in elections times I will do everything to support my own party like it did last time."