Germany's Angela Merkel can "see everything and forget nothing," according to ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy. At one point, the German chancellor gifted Sarkozy a DVD of a German film set in East Berlin.
Image: Getty Images/G. Bergmann
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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has expressed admiration and respect for German Chancellor Angela Merkel in his recently published memoir.
The two leaders enjoyed a close relationship during Sarkozy's time in office from 2007 to 2012.
"She takes the time to see everything and forget nothing," Sarkozy wrote in his book entitled Le Temps des Tempetes (The Time of Storms).
Sarkozy wrote that to underestimate Merkel was "a bad mistake."
The former French leader also wrote of conversations he had with Merkel about her time growing up in former communist East Germany.
Among other things, he relates that she once gave him the present of a DVD of the film "The Lives of Others," which is about the way the East German secret police, the Stasi, monitored citizens in East Berlin.
Sarkozy and Merkel at a Berlin press conferenceImage: Getty Images/C. Koall
Merkel's desire to travel
In an interview with Figaro Magazine about his book on Wednesday, Sarkozy also said that Merkel had told him how, as a young woman, she couldn't wait to be 65 years old, as that was the age at which she would have been allowed to travel under the authoritarian regime.
He said that her time in the communist state had also influenced her political character, causing her first tendency to be "wait and see."
In his memoir, Sarkozy describes the first two years of his presidency, including private aspects such as the divorce from his first wife, Cecilia, and his marriage with the singer Carla Bruni.
Sarkozy, 65, tried to make a political comeback in 2017 but failed. He is currently facing charges of having tried to gain access to secret court information by means of bribery, with a court appearance due in the fall.
He might also face trial over allegations of campaign financing violations.
Was that thing on? 'Hot mic' gaffes from politicians
Last week Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was caught appearing to mock US President Donald Trump at a NATO summit in London. But Trudeau's not the first to get caught out on a live mic, and he won't be the last.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Yui Mok
Ronald Reagan
At the Cold War's apex, US President Ronald Reagan got in hot water after he joked with sound engineers who were recording him for public radio. "My fellow Americans," he said. "I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." The comments weren't meant to be taken seriously, but Soviet forces were less than amused.
Image: AP
Obama and Sarkozy
An open mic moment caught out French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama at the G-20 summit in 2011. The pair was discussing their relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mr Sarkozy said: "I can't stand him any more, he's a liar." Obama said his opposite number should count himself lucky. "You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day."
Image: picture alliance/dpa/epa Yonhap
Bush and Blair
Much has been made of the US and Britain's relationship, but the moment that made it even more special was when a microphone caught respective leaders George W. Bush (R) and Tony Blair (L) off guard in 2006. The US president said: "Yo Blair!" before thanking the British PM for a sweater he had received from him. Bush rounded things off by cursing before Blair saw the mic and switched it off.
Image: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Gordon Brown
Though the UK has recently seen a slew of elections, they weren't always as frequent. In 2010 Brits went to the polls for the first time in five years. The standout moment of the campaign was when PM Gordon Brown (R) forgot to switch his mic off and described a member of the public, Gillian Duffy (L), whom he had just met, as a "bigoted woman." Brown later apologized but still lost the election.
Image: AP
Angela Merkel and Mark Zuckerberg
In 2015, in the midst of Europe's refugee crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel got caught during a UN luncheon confronting Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg over anti-immigrant posts. In a "hot mic" moment, Merkel was heard pressing him on Facebook's policies. "We need to do some work" on curtailing incendiary posts, he responded. "Are you working on this?" Merkel asked. Zuckerberg confirmed he was.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Jacques Chirac
According to French newspaper Liberation, French President Jacques Chirac made jokes about the British in 2005 to Russian and German leaders. While in earshot of reporters, Chirac allegedly said of the UK: "You can't trust people who cook as badly as that. After Finland, it's the country with the worst food. The only thing the British have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease."
