German foreign minister's flight to Latvia grounded by freezing rain

BERLIN

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had to change his travel plans for a one-day trip to Latvia and Sweden on Monday after freezing rain in Berlin grounded his flight.

"Due to extreme weather conditions, the departure location was moved from Berlin to Leipzig to carry out the trip," a foreign ministry spokesman said, adding that it remained unclear which scheduled appointments in Riga and Stockholm would need to be rescheduled.

Wadephul traveled from Berlin to Leipzig by train, which was delayed by one hour, according to local media reports. The minister and his delegation were scheduled to continue their journey to Latvia on a German Air Force aircraft used to transport high-ranking officials.

The German foreign minister was set to meet Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics in Riga on Monday morning, deliver a speech at the Latvian ambassadors' conference, and hold bilateral talks with his Latvian counterpart. Wadephul also planned to travel to Stockholm later in the day to meet Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Stenergard to discuss the latest regional developments and security threats.