Söder cancels dinner with crown prince due to MPK
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has canceled his participation in a festive dinner with Norway's Crown Prince Haakon due to the ongoing Minister Presidents' Conference. Söder was tied up in Berlin, said a spokeswoman. Söder will now be represented by State Chancellery Head Florian Herrmann (CSU) at the event in the Imperial Hall of the Munich Residence.
Söder had originally planned to return to Munich in good time after the consultations between the state premiers and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) - this plan has now been scrapped. As the consultations with the federal states were significantly delayed, the meeting between the state premiers and Scholz had still not begun in the early evening.
Haakon had landed in Munich at midday at the start of his four-day trip to Germany. Head of the State Chancellery Herrmann received him at the airport.
According to the Norwegian embassy, the main topics of the royal visit are the economy, energy, shipping, defense and culture. The son of the Norwegian King Harald V will therefore visit the defense company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in Munich on Tuesday. Crown Prince Haakon will then travel on to Hamburg and Berlin. Crown Princess Mette-Marit will join him on his visit to the German capital.
Despite the cancellation by Söder, many important discussions regarding economy, energy, shipping, defense, and culture are still expected to take place between the Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon and prominent figures of German nobility. Despite his absence, State Chancellery Head Florian Herrmann will represent Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder during these discussions.
Source: www.dpa.com
