The candidate tipped to be the next German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has told RTÉ News that he will support Ireland and the peace process in any contact he has with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson if elected.
"The EU is working together with Ireland on all the questions that are important for the country," Mr Scholz said.
He added: "This was always an activity I supported, also with my colleagues from the member states and finance ministers.
"This will be the political strategy for Europe, we will develop a political strategy that is good for Ireland, for peace."
Mr Scholz from the SPD is one of two candidates running neck-and-neck to replace Angela Merkel as German chancellor, alongside Armin Laschet of the CDU.
With days to go before the general election on Sunday that will see Ms Merkel step aside after 16 years in power, her conservative CDU-CSU alliance is playing catch-up with the centre-left Social Democrats in the polls, narrowing the gap to just 2%.
NEW: The candidate tipped to be the next German Chancellor has told @rtenews that, if elected, he will support Ireland and the peace process in any contact he has with Boris Johnson. pic.twitter.com/MaHr8C2ANm
— Tony Connelly (@tconnellyRTE) September 24, 2021
The vote is being closely watched by Western allies, wary of an uncertain outcome that could blunt the participation of Europe's biggest power on the international scene for weeks, if not months.
Foreign policy has featured little during the tight campaign, but in their final joint TV appearance, the two main contenders each called for a strong, sovereign Europe.
"We need more Europe, we need to speak with one voice," said Mr Laschet, who is also the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia state.
"So we can act even when the US pulls back," he said, in a nod to America's chaotic exit from Afghanistan.
Mr Scholz said the EU needed to stick together to stay relevant on the global stage, and stressed the importance of cooperation with the United States and NATO.
Annalena Baerbock, the Green party's candidate for chancellor, called for a joint EU policy on China "so we're not played off against each other", advocating a combination of "dialogue" and "toughness" with Beijing.
On domestic issues, the candidates repeated their usual talking points, likely doing little to sway undecided voters and leaving media commentators exasperated.
Latest opinion polls put Mr Scholz's SPD in front at 25%, followed by the CDU-CSU at 23 percent, within the margin of error.
The Greens are in third place at around 16% support, giving them a realistic chance of becoming a junior coalition partner in the next government.
If the surveys prove right, Ms Merkel's conservatives are headed for their worst score in post-war German history, potentially tarnishing Merkel's own legacy.
Additional reporting: AFP
