(VOVworld) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday urged the United States to stick to multilateral cooperation, saying a trend towards protectionism was a risk to prosperity.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Photo: Reuters)

Speaking at a meeting of senior members of her center-right CDU party in the western German town of Perl, Mrs Merkel said that the United States is Germany's most important trading partner and the protectionist rhetoric of US President-elect Donald Trump has unnerved exporters in Europe's biggest economy. Germany holds the presidency of the G20 leading economies this year, a platform Merkel wants to use to safeguard multilateral cooperation.