Obama meets German chancellor Angela Markel in his overseas trip

Barak Obama on his Europe trip met met German chancellor Angela Markel in Berlin today. After Berlin, the first step in the tour, Obama will also visit France and Britain. This is an effort by Obama to burnish his foreign policy credentials.

Before going for closed door meeting at the chancellery, both of them shook hands and exchanged little talk. The closed doors talk took place for an hour. Earlier in Israel Obama said that he hoped the speech will be viewed as a substantive articulation of the relationship he would like to see between the US and Europe. He also said that he is hoping to communicate across the Atlantic.

Relations between the US and Germany reached to a lowest after war under Markel's predecessor Gerhard Schroder who always opposed the US invasion in Iraq in 2003. Markel, conservative, grew up in Communist East has always worked for repairing the ties.

On her part, Markel said that she expected to discuss NATO cooperation, climate change and trade issues.