On trade agreements and US-German cooperation
German Chancellor Angela Merkel started by saying that she is sure that Germany will come back to the trade deal with the US "one day." She noted that she believes that it is possible for Germany to reach an agreement on trade with the US "after the failure of the TTIP."
"The European Union and the United States are the big important economic areas for us which us why I’ve always come out strongly in favor of concluding a trade agreement with the United States of America we have made progress, quite a lot of progress … And I’m absolutely certain that one day we will come back to what we have achieved and build on it," Merkel stated.
Merkel further said that she will do everything to "work well" with the new US President, Donald Trump.
The outgoing US President Obama then responded by saying that the talks on agreements like TTIP are "challenging," but they need to be continued.
"I have always been strongly engaged for a conclusion of a trade deal with the United States. We have made a lot of progress on the negotiations, but it will not be concluded now," she said, following talks with US President Barack Obama on his farewell tour of Europe.
On Russia
Talking about Russia, Obama noted that he and Merkel discussed the importance of maintaining economic sanctions on Russia, Obama said at a joint press conference in Berlin on Thursday.
"We discussed the importance of maintaining sanctions until Russia fully complies with the Minsk agreement," Obama stated.
Obama further pointed out that it is in Washington's interests to work with Moscow: "In order for us to solve many big problems around the world, it is in our interest to work with Russia and obtain their cooperation," Obama said.
He also noted that he hopes Trump finds "areas of cooperation" with Russia. However, Obama noted that he hopes Trump will counter Russia on the issues that Washington and Moscow view differently.
"My hope is that the President-elect coming in takes a similarly constructive approach, finding areas where we can cooperate with Russia where our values and interests align, but that the president-elect also is willing to stand up to Russia when they are deviating from our values and international norms," Obama said.
Moving to the issue of NATO during Trump's presidency, Obama said that he feels encouraged by the President-elect saying that NATO is a commitment that does not change.
Talking about cybersecurity, Obama said that Washington has 'clear proof' of Russia's involvement in cyberattacks on the US.
"In terms of my conversations with President Putin, these are conversations that took place before the election. As I indicated, there has been very clear proof that they have engaged in cyber-attacks," Obama told reporters in Germany.
Obama explained that there are a number of states where the United States has seen low-level cyber-attacks and industrial espionage.
"While we recognize Russia’s intelligence gathering that’s sometimes taking place even if we don’t like it, there is a difference between that and other meddling in election or going after private organizations or commercial entities," Obama continued.
He then said that he views Russia as a 'military superpower': "My view on Russia has not changed since my first day in office. Russia is an important superpower, a military superpower, it has influence in the region as well as worldwide."
Commenting on the issue of the relations between Russia and Germany in her turn, Merkel said that Russia is Europe's neighbor and there is mutual interest in keeping good relations.
On US-German relations and upcoming elections in Germany
Asked if he would like to see Merkel run again for Chancellor, Obama said that she "has been an outstanding partner" and one of the most important allies.
She then said that Germany needs to collaborate with the US intelligence agencies in view of the growing terror threat.
"Today we see how important international cooperation is, including cooperation with US special services in relation to an international threat of Islamist terrorism. We need this cooperation, I say it clearly, from the German point of view," Merkel said.
Asked if she is planning to run for Chancellor, Merkel said that she will announce that at an appropriate time.
On Syria
Asked about Syria's future, Obama noted that the US will likely continue to work on political transition and humanitarian situation in the country.
"We are going to continue to work as we have over the last five, six years, to push towards a political transition and settlement," Obama stated. "We are going to continue to try to find humanitarian steps that can reach the people there."
He also said that he does not believe that Russia will drastically change its course of action in Syria.
"It would be naive of me to expect a 180-degree turn by Russia or Assad, but we'll try to affect change," Obama said.
In her turn, Merkel said that she does not view Bashar Assad as an ally.
On terrorism
Germany will continue contributing to the fight against Daesh by supporting the Kurdish forces and air policing, among other measures, Merkel said.
"There are a lot of areas where we [Germany and the United States] cooperate, the fight against ISIL [Islamic State, Daesh] for example, here Germany was able to contribute to a certain extent in certain areas and will continue to do so, for example in supporting the Peshmerga, in air policing, but we also have to acknowledge that the United States of America bear most of the burden," Merkel stated.
On Brexit
Obama stressed that the United States hopes that talks on the United Kingdom leaving the European Union (EU) will be held in a transparent and organized manner.
"I hope that negotiations over the UK's exit from the EU will be conducted in a smooth and orderly, and transparent fashion, and preserve as closely as possible economic, political, and security relationships between the UK and EU," the US president stated.
Obama stressed that the EU remained one of the greatest economic and political achievements, which should not be taken for granted.
Obama added that the United States has a fundamental interest in Europe's stability and security.
On June 23, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union. According to the final results, 51.9 percent of voters, or 17.4 million people, decided to support Brexit, while about 16.1 million opposed it.
