Germany's Steinmeier launches Instagram account
February 11, 2019
Germany's president is now on Instagram. Frank-Walter Steinmeier unveiled his new account on Monday (@bundespresident.steinmeier), saying he wanted to provide Germans with "a glimpse of his work, travels and encounters."
"I want to take you with me. Not only here in Bellevue Palace [the German president's official residence], when state guests are present, or abroad, when the red carpet is rolled out, but above all when we are on the road around the country," Steinmeier said in a welcome video.
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The German president has already posted pictures from his visits to China, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, India and Spain as well as his travels around Germany.
He already has hundreds of followers, but his account is only following seven others: the European Commission, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany's foreign affairs office, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and two accounts operated by UNICEF.
The Instagram account is not Steinmeier's first venture into social media. He launched a Facebook account in June 2017 which currently has more than 100,000 followers.
Steinmeier, a leading figure in the Social Democrats for years and twice German foreign minister, became president almost exactly two years ago, on February 12, 2017.
dv/msh (AFP, epd)