Obama makes final stop on Europe tour with visit to close ally Merkel

Barack Obama arrived in Berlin on Wednesday for the final leg of his last trip to Europe as president of the United States. The president’s Air Force One jet landed at Berlin Tegel Airport at 5:51 pm (1651 GMT) after leaving Athens, where he gave a keynote speech on the founding principles of democracy earlier […]

Barack Obama arrived in Berlin on Wednesday for the final leg of his last trip to Europe as president of the United States.

The president’s Air Force One jet landed at Berlin Tegel Airport at 5:51 pm (1651 GMT) after leaving Athens, where he gave a keynote speech on the founding principles of democracy earlier that day.

Obama was received on a runway reserved for military and diplomatic flights by German government representatives and a Bundeswehr guard of honour.

Much of central Berlin has been closed off, with Obama’s motorcade heading to the Hotel Adlon, a stone’s throw from the iconic Brandenburg Gate, where he is staying until Friday.

On Wednesday he is to have a private, informal dinner with his close ally, Angela Merkel, with further talks scheduled with the German chancellor for the following day. A meeting with Merkel and other European leaders is on the agenda for Friday.

He has previously praised Merkel as "a trusted partner" and stood by her side in her handling of the refugee crisis, which has cost her in the polls at home.

Earlier Wednesday, Obama reiterated reassurances to his European allies amid fears that his successor, right-wing populist Donald Trump, is a threat to democracy.

"The next American president and I could not be more different … But American democracy is bigger than any one person," he said in Athens, referring to Trump, who takes office on January 20.

"My administration will do everything we can to support the smoothest transition possible," Obama pledged, "because that’s how democracy has to work."

Merkel’s congratulatory message to Trump following his shock victory in the November 8 election erred on the side of caution. While she offered the Republican president-elect a close partnership in a phone call to him, she stressed that this would be "on the basis" of democratic values.

Obama saw the Greek leg of his farewell tour to Europe as an opportunity to laud the country as the birthplace of "demokratia."

He conceded that democracy can be "slow, it can be frustrating, it can be hard, it can be messy," but added that ultimately it is "better than the alternatives."

Despite being planned before the November 8 election, Obama’s final international tour as US president has become a voyage to calm nerves following Trump’s shock victory, with uncertainty reigning over what kind of policies the outlandish political outsider may pursue.

Obama campaigned heavily for Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton in the often ugly run-up to the election. She won the popular vote but lost out on winning enough states to give her the electoral college backing required to make her the country’s first female president.

Despite the Democrats’ defeat in the presidential race, Obama stressed the importance of free and fair elections "because citizens must be able to choose their own leaders, even if your candidate doesn’t always win." (DPA)