The foreign ministers of both Germany and France offered strong praise for Hillary Clinton after she announced her presidential campaign.
Laurent Fabius, who serves as Foreign Minister of France under its Socialist Party leadership, praised Clinton as “an exceptional woman for a job that requires exceptional qualities.”
Fabius has met with Clinton several times before, reports The Guardian. In a July reception to honor Clinton in Paris, he praised the former Secretary of State for her “leadership” and “natural authority.”
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy added to the chorus of compliments, wishing the former first lady good luck on Twitter. “Good luck @Hillary Clinton! I know how strong your passion is for the United States,” Sarkozy wrote.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany offered similar remarks, in an op-ed that read, “Hillary Clinton… has profiled herself not only as a reliable partner for Europe and as friend of Germany, but she has also proven she has sure instincts in world crises — from Afghanistan to the Middle East.”
“With Hillary Clinton, there is a woman running who is a master of the craft of politics like other people. Above all in foreign affairs,” said Steinmeier in Bild, Germany’s most popular newspaper. “Steinmeier said at the reception that he “valued [Clinton] as a wise partner to talk with and also as a politician who can listen.”
Steinmeier, like Fabius, is a member of a far-left party. Before assuming the role of Minister for Foreign Affairs, he was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in Germany’s Bundestag.