New Delhi: Former German Chancellor says US has weakened international organizations and multilateralism is under threat Angela Merkel Dr. Manmohan Singh said while delivering his maiden speech. Referring to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, she said the violation of the European territorial integrity principle had forced the European order “into trouble.”“The rights to territorial integrity and sovereignty are being trampled upon. Multilateralism as the very idea of our cooperation is under pressure,” she said, adding that the global order had been shaken. “The United States under Trump has weakened international organizations such as the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement. They have even questioned the role of the United Nations or replaced it with unilateral actions. The previous cooperative order is being replaced by a cooperative order that may mean what is right,” said Merkel, who has been German chancellor for 16 years.The former prime minister was a strong advocate of multilateral cooperation and said abandoning it was not an option at a time of rising protectionism.
