In a crisis-ridden world, Germany’s chancellor uses his New Year’s speech to convey confidence

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s chancellor is using his New Year’s speech to call on his country’s citizens not to lose confidence in the future as they adapt to a world experiencing multiple crises and changing at an ever-faster pace. In the prerecorded speech to be broadcast Sunday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz says: “So much suffering; so much bloodshed. Our world has become a more unsettled and harsher place.” Scholz was referring to Russia’s war on Ukraine, a resulting rise in energy prices, the suffering during the coronavirus pandemic, and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. He adds: “The result is that we, too, are having to change.” The chancellor nonetheless tried to paint a positive picture of the year ahead.