Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Tuesday that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz should have gone out dancing and enjoyed Belem more, in response to his criticism of the COP30 host city.

The conservative Merz returned to Berlin appearing less than impressed with the hot and humid Amazonian city, which became the unlikely stage for UN climate talks this year.

"We live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I asked journalists who accompanied me to Brazil last week: 'Who among you would want to stay here?' No one raised their hand," Merz said after returning from a leaders summit in Belem.

"Everyone was delighted to be back in Germany and to have left that place."

In the run up to COP30, Lula brushed off concerns about Belem's limited infrastructure and dire

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