German officials have attempted to dispel concerns over the health of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has suffered two bouts of trembling in the last week.
Merkel, 64, appeared shaky during a red-carpet ceremony for Ukrainian President Zelenskiy, which she blamed on dehydration, as Berlin was grappling with a major heatwave.
On Thursday, she was filmed trembling again at an early-morning indoor farewell ceremony for outgoing German Justice Minister Katarina Barley. The chancellor was then offered a glass of water, which she accepted but didn't drink.
Angela Merkel hat im Schloss Bellevue erneut einen Zitteranfall erlitten. Regierungssprecher Seibert sagte, der Bundeskanzlerin gehe es gut. pic.twitter.com/dy8haFPpm4
— Berlin direkt (@berlindirekt) 27 июня 2019 г.
Ahead of her flight to the ongoing G20 summit in Japan, a spokesman for Merkel said that “the chancellor is well” and there were no changes expected in her schedule.
Another official told Reuters that while the first shaking episode was attributed to drinking too little water and too much coffee on a hot day, the latest tremors had something to do with psychology, as she tried to avoid a repeat.
“The memory of the incident last week led to the situation today – so (it was) a psychologically driven process,” the official said. “There is nothing to worry about.”
Angela Merkel appeared relaxed during the G20 meeting on Friday, with no visible signs of unwellness. She sat down with US President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Modi, and has arrived at a formal dinner wrapping up day one apparently in a good mood.
Меркель, которая дважды за последние недели почувствовала себя плохо на публике, на саммите G20 признаков недомогания не проявляет. А, скорее, даже наоборот #G20 pic.twitter.com/0EdhnkgBl7
— Мировые РИА Новости (@RIA_Worldnews) 28 июня 2019 г.
