Merkel to visit the US on July 15: What you need to know

Picture Courtesy: Al Jazeera

1. President Joe Biden will welcome German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House next month of July 15, The White House says.

2. It will be her first visit to the US and likely final visit, as she is not seeking a fifth term as elections are in September. She has worked with four US presidents during her tenure.

3. The White House said " both leaders will discuss their commitment to close cooperation on common challenges like ending of COVID -19, addressing the threat of climate change and promoting economic prosperity and international security based on our shared democratic values"

4. The visit comes in the wake of Biden's lifting sanctions on Russian Company, Nord Stream II, an oil pipeline, citing national security reasons.

5. According to a senior official, Biden wanted to end confrontation with Germany. Merkel was pressured, in the past, to withdraw from the project, but did not.

6. A former physicist with a dry humor, Markel has worked with Barack Obama, George W Bush and Donald Trump