In a meeting intended to reflect the importance of U.S.-German ties, Vice President Kamala Harris will host talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel at her official residence Thursday, the first time she has hosted a foreign leader at the Naval Observatory since taking office.

       At their breakfast meeting, Harris intends to emphasize the need for the two allied nations to confront an array of global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and the threats posed by Russia and China.

       “It underscores the special nature of this partnership and America’s special role in the world that she is able to host her at her home,” Phil Gordon, the vice president’s deputy national security advisor, told the Associated Press.

       Harris and Merkel also will discuss the need to promote and defend democracy at home, “acknowledging, frankly, that we face challenges in our own countries, and we need to talk about that,” Gordon said.

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       Also expected to come up is the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the role of NATO and Germany in maintaining stability in Afghanistan afterward.

       Merkel is scheduled to visit the White House later Thursday to meet with President Biden. That session is expected to cover many of the same issues, in addition to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, which his administration opposes.

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       In developing her diplomatic portfolio, Harris has taken on one of the administration’s toughest tasks, addressing the root causes of migration to the U.S. from Mexico and Central America, and has held calls with world leaders.

       Harris and Merkel are the first women to serve in their respective positions, and the chancellor highlighted Harris’ background when offering congratulations after Biden’s election victory in November.

       “As the first woman in this office and the child of two immigrants, she is an inspiration for many people, an example of the opportunities of America,” Merkel said of Harris. “I’m looking forward to getting to know her.”

       Merkel, after nearly 16 years in office, is retiring in the coming months after deciding not to seek a fifth term.

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       “In part this is a farewell visit, in part she is signaling continuity and stability in the German-U.S. relationship,” said Johannes Timm, a senior fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, a think tank in Berlin.

       After 16 years of dealing with Merkel, many officials in Washington and elsewhere are wondering what course Germany might take after its Sept. 26 election. Merkel — who has dealt with four U.S. presidents in her time — will seek to reassure them that there won’t be a huge shift, he said.

       Merkel’s party is leading in the polls ahead of the September election, but the environmentalist Greens and the center-left Social Democrats are also vying to lead a future government. While the three parties differ in many policy areas, all are committed to a strong transatlantic relationship.

       Along with the substance, there will be plenty of ceremony during Merkel’s one-day visit to Washington: She will receive an honorary doctorate — her 18th — from Johns Hopkins University, and she and her husband, chemist Joachim Sauer, will dine with the first family at the White House.