Germany welcomes 'closest friends' Nick Clegg and William Hague to Berlin - Guardian

The deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, and the foreign secretary, William Hague, were hailed as "fabulous partners" in Germany today as they made their first joint visit abroad.

With the prime minister, David Cameron, in Afghanistan, the three highest ranking members of the government were abroad – leaving the chancellor, George Osborne, as the most senior figure at home.

Clegg stressed that he and Hague were delighted to be in "wonderful" Berlin. "When we left this morning it was a slightly grey day in London, and it's beautifully sunny here," he said, adding in fluent German: "I find the famous Berlin air very refreshing."

"We will not be standing on the sidelines," he said. "We are stronger together, we are weaker apart."

Hague, who had the most work to do to try to win the Germans over, was interviewed in today's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. - Germany welcomes 'closest friends' Nick Clegg and William Hague to Berlin