Germany Chancellor Merkel to visit US in June

Apr 4, 2011, 17:46 GMT

Berlin/Washington - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to visit the United States on June 7, where US President Barack Obama is to present her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, her office announced Monday.

Accompanied by her husband, Joachim Sauer, Merkel will be guest of honour at a state banquet.

The trip caused a minor media debacle in recent weeks, as Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert announced the upcoming visit on social networking site Twitter before it was officially made public.

It will be the first state visit by a German leader since then- president Richard von Weizsaecker was hosted by US president George Bush in 1992, two years after German reunification.

Merkel, who grew up in Communist East Germany and became Germany's first female chancellor in 2005, was unable to attend the annual Medal of Freedom awards, which Obama presented on February 15.

Her visit 'underscores the fundamental importance of the US-German alliance, the depth of the friendship between our people and our commitment to move forward together on behalf of our shared interests and values,' the White House said Monday in a statement.

Issues on the agenda for Merkel and Obama would include Afghanistan, the Middle East and Iran, as well as the global economy.

Read more about Germany Diplomacy

Read more about US