UK Foreign Secretary hosted German Foreign
Minister Annalena Baerbock in London today for the first annual
UK-Germany Strategic Dialogue, in a sign of the deep partnership
between the two countries. This is a major new forum for the two
countries to agree cooperation on a range of priority issues.
The two ministers committed to increase cooperation on a range of
joint priorities from further support for Ukraine to action on
climate change.
UK Foreign Secretary, said:
“The UK and Germany are the closest of partners and we are
using the strength of our relationship to tackle the shared
challenges we face today.
“As Europe’s leading economies we’ve agreed to work closer on
our unwavering support for Ukraine and combatting climate
change.”
There was a significant focus on global security in today’s
talks. Both foreign ministers made clear their steadfast support
for Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s illegal invasion and
made a commitment to holding Russia accountable for atrocities,
including conflict-related sexual violence.
The UK and Germany have already worked in tandem to respond to
Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, working with the G7 and NATO to
isolate Russia and support Ukraine. Today’s talks have deepened
the UK-Germany partnership to enable even closer cooperation.
In a further sign of the current strength of the relationship,
the UK-Germany Cultural Commission is set to be reinstated. It
was originally set up in 1958 and will meet for the first time
since 1993. It will agree priorities for how the UK and Germany
can support people-to-people links over the coming year.
The UK-Germany Strategic Dialogue was set up in 2021, with the
aim of agreeing areas for cooperation across foreign and security
policy for the year ahead. Today is the inaugural meeting of the
annual event.
