24.04.2023: Steinmeier stresses German-Canadian friendship
Ottawa (d.de) – During a visit to Canada, Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has underlined the importance of the close relations between the two countries, saying that Germany and Canada have enjoyed a good friendship for decades. “But the recent geopolitical changes, Russia’s war against Ukraine, the conflict between China and the West,” Steinmeier said, have increased the importance of relations. “If we say, looking back, that we knew in the past that we liked each other, then now we know that we need each other more than ever.” Trade will be facilitated by the Ceta agreement that the Bundestag ratified in December. It is intended to promote business between companies in the EU and Canada by removing nearly all tariffs and establishing common rules. (with dpa)
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21.04.2023: Demand for human rights defenders to be released in China
Berlin (d.de) – The foreign ministries of Germany and France have demanded the release of human rights defenders who have been sentenced and arrested in China. “We are appalled by the sentencing of human rights defender Xu Zhiyong and lawyer Ding Jiaxi to 14 and 12 years in prison respectively, as well as by the arrest of lawyer and winner of the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan,” announced spokespersons of the Federal Foreign Office and the French Foreign Ministry. “We call for their immediate release and for an end to the repressive measures against human rights defenders.”
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20.04.2023: Baltic Offshore Wind Forum on 9 May in Berlin
Berlin (d.de) – Under its presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), Germany, together with Denmark, will host the Baltic Offshore Wind Forum on 9 May 2023 in Berlin. Offshore wind power can make an important contribution to energy independence. To take full advantage of this potential, the Baltic Sea states are keen to step up their cooperation on the expansion of renewable energy sources and the necessary infrastructure. Furthermore, energy security in the Baltic Sea region is facing new challenges because of Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
With its forum “Energy Security in the Context of Europe’s Changing Geopolitical Landscape”, Germany is providing a platform for key stakeholders in both the public and the private sector, as well as for civil society. The forum will bring together representatives from the entire Baltic Sea region and will be organised jointly by the Federal Foreign Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and the German Energy Agency (dena). The hosts will be Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) is an intergovernmental organisation of ten member states and the European Union that was founded in 1992 as the result of a German-Danish initiative.
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19.04.2023: German Chancellor Scholz visits Portugal
Berlin (d.de) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is visiting Portugal and will meet with Prime Minister António Costa in the capital Lisbon. Their talks are expected to focus on current issues in European and economic policy, as well as on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
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14.04.2023: German government welcomes World Bank’s reform steps
Berlin (d.de) – There has been broad support at the World Bank Spring Meetings for a fundamental reform of the World Bank. The objective of the reform is for the bank to be better able to support developing countries in overcoming global challenges such as climate change. Initial measures are to be implemented immediately, enabling the World Bank to grant a total of 50 billion dollars in additional loans over the next ten years. The reform had been initiated in the autumn by German Development Minister Svenja Schulze and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Niels Annen, state secretary at the development ministry and Germany’s representative at the meetings, said: “The goal of fighting poverty will continue to guide the World Bank’s actions – but anyone wishing to successfully tackle poverty also has to take climate change, pandemics and other global crises into account these days.” He called for further “substantial reform steps” by the Annual Meetings in October.
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14.04.2023: Germany condemns North Korea’s missile test
Berlin (d.de) – The German government has condemned “in the strongest possible terms the recent illegal launch of a long-range ballistic missile by North Korea”. A statement said that the testing of a long-range ballistic missile, which is suspected to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons, is “a further blatant violation of relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions, increases the tensions in the region in an irresponsible manner and endangers regional and international peace.” The German government urges North Korea to refrain from carrying out further tests and to implement the decisions of the Security Council.
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13.04.2023: Pistorius and Schulze in Niger and Mali
Berlin (d.de) – Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Development Minister Svenja Schulze visit the Sahel countries Niger and Mali. The two members of the government stated clearly that Germany would continue to live up to its responsibility towards the Sahel region even after the planned withdrawal of the Federal Armed Forces from Mali. They landed on Thursday in Gao, where the Federal Armed Forces maintains a central base belonging to the UN mission MINUSMA. German involvement in the mission is to end by May of next year. More than 1,100 men and women of the Federal Armed Forces are currently stationed in Mali as part of the UN mission. At the same time, Germany is seeking to enhance its engagement in the Sahel region from a development policy perspective. The successful cooperation that already exists with the security forces in Niger is to be strengthened.
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13.04.2023: Germany sees initial progress in connection with World Bank reform
Washington (d.de) – Germany sees initial progress in the envisaged reform of the World Bank towards a stronger commitment to climate action. At the Spring Meetings of the World Bank in Washington, the Development Ministry reported that the financial strength of the Development Bank was to be increased by 50 billion dollars over the next ten years.
Development Minister Svenja Schulze initiated the reform together with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The goal is for the bank to provide better support for developing countries to invest in climate action. Up until now, its main task has been to lend money cheaply to poor countries in order to strengthen their economies and reduce poverty. In the view of the German head of delegation at the meeting, State Secretary Niels Annen, the reform steps agreed on to date are not yet sufficient. “In order to achieve the necessary socio-ecological restructuring of the global economy, the world needs a real transformation bank,” said Annen in Washington. (with the dpa)
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12.04.2023: Germany’s Foreign Minister Baerbock to visit China
Berlin (d.de) – Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will be travelling to the People’s Republic of China for her inaugural visit from 13 to 15 April. A meeting in Beijing is planned with her Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, whose invitation she has accepted. In addition, she is expected to hold talks with China’s most senior foreign policy official Wang Yi and with Prime Minister Li Qiang. Baerbock will also meet with representatives of the German business community. Josep Borrel, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and vice-president of the EU Commission, will be in Beijing for talks at the same time as Baerbock.
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12.04.2023: German Environment Minister Lemke visits Fukushima
Berlin (d.de) – Before attending the meeting of environment ministers of the G7 states in Sapporo, German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke is visiting the Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. At various commemorative sites she will talk to those affected by the 2011 tsunami catastrophe and local actors. A visit to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is also scheduled. In Germany, the disastrous tsunami and its consequences for the Fukushima nuclear power plant had prompted Angela Merkel’s government to phase out nuclear energy.
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11.04.2023: Human rights commissioner travels to Ethiopia and South Sudan
Berlin (d.de) – Luise Amtsberg, the German government’s commissioner for human rights policy and humanitarian assistance, is visiting Ethiopia and South Sudan. Prior to her departure, Amtsberg said: “Although the weapons have fallen silent in northern Ethiopia, the people there are still suffering. Efforts to address the human rights violations that have taken place are only just beginning. I am therefore travelling to Ethiopia, following the joint visit by Foreign Minister Baerbock and her French counterpart Colonna in mid-January, so that I can learn more about the progress of the peace process and the National Dialogue to address human rights violations, as well as the challenging situation facing women and girls in the country.” She added that the German government remained a reliable partner for Ethiopia, including in the sphere of humanitarian assistance.
Afterwards, Amtsberg will visit South Sudan, the world’s youngest state, explaining that she wants to focus attention on one of the forgotten crises of our age. She said: “The country is still ravaged by conflict and violence. I will hold talks and visit projects on the ground to gain an overview of the difficult human rights situation as well as the significant humanitarian need in the country.”
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04.04.2023: Baerbock condemns anti-personnel mines
Berlin (d.de). – To mark International Mine Awareness Day, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has stressed the outlawing of land mines: “Anti-personnel mines are atrocious weapons. They are the reason why mothers and fathers in countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia and Iraq still have to fear for their children every time they go outside to play, even decades after a conflict.” Baerbock called on Russia to “cease its reckless widespread mining of agricultural land” in Ukraine. Germany is a signatory to the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty and is the world’s second-largest funder of humanitarian mine clearance.
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04.04.2023: Germany and Jordan want to revive peace process
Berlin (dpa) – Germany and Jordan want to work together to get the Middle East peace process moving. After talks with the Jordanian Foreign Minister Aiman al-Safadi in Berlin, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced on Monday that a meeting with Jordan, Egypt and France would soon be held to this end in the German capital.
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03.04.2023: German government commissioner visits Yazidis
Berlin (d.de) – To see the situation of Yazidis and other religious minorities in Iraq for himself, the German government’s commissioner for freedom of religion or belief, Frank Schwabe, has visited Baghdad, Erbil and Dohuk. The trip focused on issues of reconstruction and resettlement in Sinjar, the main settlement area of the Yazidi minority that was mercilessly persecuted by IS. “Germany stands firmly by the side of the Yazidis. Together with the Iraqi government and the Kurdish regional government, we want to ensure that reconstruction and resettlement are driven forward in Sinjar,” Schwabe said.
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03.04.2023: German Chancellor Scholz visits Romania
Berlin (dpa) – Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has visited Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, and Moldovan President Maia Sandu in Bucharest. The talks will initially focus on European, security and energy policy. At a subsequent tripartite meeting, support for Moldova will be discussed.
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29.03.2023: AA condemns ban on political parties in Myanmar
Berlin (d.de) – The military junta in Myanmar has banned the National League for Democracy, the party of Nobel laureate and former head of government Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as 39 other parties. Germany’s foreign ministry has condemned this further “blatant example of [the military junta’s] contempt for its own people” and their desire for freedom: “We condemn the conduct of the junta, which is acting without any basis in democracy and the rule of law. The dissolution of the parties is further evidence that the elections announced by the regime would be a farce and would not be safe, free or fair under the current conditions. Germany calls on the military in Myanmar to put a stop to the violence, especially the attacks on civilians and the brutal repression against the opposition, without delay and to release all political prisoners.”
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28.03.2023: Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue opened
Berlin (d.de) German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has opened the 9thBerlin Energy Transition Dialogue in Berlin. The report can be found here.
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27.03.2023: Government travels to Netherlands for consultations
Berlin (d.de). – The governments of Germany and the Netherlands are meeting for the fourth time, this time in The Hague. Joint projects are to be discussed during the course of the German-Dutch government consultations. Three topics will take centre stage: climate action and energy security, innovation and digitisation, and security and defence policy in view of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Germany and the Netherlands share a 567-kilometre border, the two countries are important trading partners within the European Union, and both are popular with one another as holiday destinations. With very few other countries does Germany have such close and trust-based relations as with the Netherlands, be it on the economic and political level or indeed on the military and cultural level.
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26.03.2023: Germany supports “Silencing the guns”
Berlin (d.de) – Katja Keul, minister of state at the Federal Foreign Office, is travelling to the United Nations in New York to support the initiative “Silencing the guns”. Keul said: “How this UN initiative on small arms control can be effectively implemented will be the subject of an open debate in the UN Security Council on Peace and Security in Africa hosted by the Mozambican presidency. It is particularly important to me that we fight not only the symptoms but also the causes of violence and conflicts together with our African partners. For us, this also means linking our stabilisation projects and development policy even more closely with each other and with African initiatives.”