Johann Wadephul, Germany’s Foreign Minister (via interpreter): Good afternoon, and above all, dear Penny Wong, a warm welcome here in Berlin. I am delighted that we are meeting again so soon, having only been in Canberra in February. We will continue our discussions here in Berlin. I believe this is a wonderful sign of our political solidarity, but also of the solidarity between our ministries and our two governments. The fact that we are now reviving the 2+2 format here between the Foreign Ministers and the Defence Ministers is, I believe, an important sign, particularly at a time when conflicts, crises and wars are shaking the world.
We need to engage with those with whom we share values and with whom we feel connected in many respects. That is why it is wonderful that Defence Minister Richard Marles and you have made your way here to Germany. Boris Pistorius and I are very pleased about this. We have this 2+2 format with our particularly close and important partners. The fact that we are meeting for the second time this year, despite the great distance between our countries, also underlines very clearly that Australia is one of these close partners.
And this second meeting applies both to me – that is, to us at the Foreign Minister level – and to the Defence Ministers, as Boris Pistorius has also been to Australia. You are partners with whom we wish to shape security together. Two weeks ago, I attended the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, where we prepared for the next NATO Summit in Ankara. Our position is clear: we need a new burden-sharing arrangement and a greater role for Europe within the Alliance.
A more European NATO. At the same time, within NATO we do not view our security exclusively through a transatlantic lens, but rather as part of a 360-degree approach together with our partners around the world. We want and need partners such as Australia, but also Japan, Korea and New Zealand, with whom we share the same security interests and the same values. That is why our aim is to further expand this partnership.
Today we will focus in particular on a topic that is of paramount importance for the economic security of our two countries, but ultimately for many countries worldwide. We will discuss maritime security. In our highly interconnected world, free sea lanes are indispensable for security and prosperity – whether in the Indo-Pacific, in the Taiwan Strait or in the Gulf at the Strait of Hormuz.
People around the world are feeling the effects of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz not only at the petrol pump, but also directly at the kitchen table in the poorest countries. That is why we are discussing today how to coordinate our efforts even more effectively to ensure the free passage of the Strait of Hormuz and the security of the entire region. Against the backdrop of the renewed escalation caused by Iran’s shelling of Israel – which was, after all, preceded by Iranian missiles targeting civilian sites in Kuwait and Bahrain – I would like to reiterate: a willingness to take responsibility is a prerequisite for any long-term peace.
That is why we expressly support the US’ efforts to find a diplomatic solution and call on all parties involved to avoid a resurgence of hostilities. Iran’s statement today that the attacks have ceased may be a step in the right direction. We will now be closely monitoring how credible this statement is. In particular, we expect Iran to exert appropriate influence on Hizballah to ensure that this terrorist organisation ceases to attack Israel, particularly northern Israel, from Lebanese territory.
We will also be discussing support for Ukraine today. Australia has imposed extensive sanctions on Russia, supplied tanks and provided a total of almost one billion euros in support for Ukraine since the start of the war. Along with New Zealand, Australia is one of the first non-NATO countries to have participated in the so-called PURL mechanism. We are deeply grateful to our Australian friends for this contribution to security here in Europe. Germany also intends to engage more strongly in the Indo-Pacific in future.
For this reason, as part of the Indo-Pacific Deployment, we are taking part in joint exercises in Australia, including the regular Pitch Black air force exercise. At the same time, wheeled armoured vehicles are being built in Australia, which will soon reinforce the German Army. Our two countries are therefore working together to diversify our supply chains so that we are not vulnerable to blackmail in times when unilateral dependencies are exploited and raw material exports are used as a means of political pressure.
To this end, Australia and the European Union entered into a strategic raw materials partnership in 2024. The Federal Government, through the German Raw Materials Fund, is investing in the extraction of rare earths in Australia, for example. And an Australian company is collaborating on lithium extraction in the Upper Rhine Graben. Greater resilience is also achieved when we become less dependent on energy supplies. The expansion of renewable energies can contribute to this.
Australia has ideal conditions for solar energy and hydrogen production and, as the chair of the upcoming COP 31 World Climate Conference in Turkey, plays a particularly important role. In 2021, we upgraded our relations to an enhanced strategic partnership. We will now continue along this path. Even though we could hardly be further apart on the globe, as partners we could hardly be closer.
Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Can I start by thanking you, Minister Wadephul, for welcoming me and my delegation here so warmly, and thank you also for the opportunity to meet again so soon after your visit to Australia, and as you said, it says something about the value we both place on our relationship that we are seeing each other again so soon, despite how far away our countries are, and perhaps even more so that we are about to engage in the 2+2 meeting, the first joint Australia-Germany Foreign and Defence Ministers meeting since 2021. When we met in February, as you said, we lifted our Enhanced Strategic Partnership to a new level, and you spoke about shared values in your statement, and that is what our partnership is built on, and it is what binds us together – a commitment to rules, a commitment to defence cooperation, and our work to build shared economic security. And in a rapidly changing, increasingly contested world, this is the work that matters. This is the work that matters most, strengthening and diversifying our relationships.
Australia is a middle power, and we know that it is by working together, that by building coalitions and partnerships that we better manage the change that we are all experiencing, that we better uphold the rules that protect us all, and that we deliver better outcomes for our people. I do want to acknowledge Germany’s leadership, the leadership of Chancellor Merz, and you Minister, in terms of Germany’s ambitious defence and foreign policy, and we appreciate your personal advocacy, particularly on their European Indo-Pacific Partners grouping. We know that Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security is inseparable, and we see this in so many ways. We see this in, for example, Russia’s cooperation with North Korea in Ukraine, and this is one of the reasons why Australia is the largest non-NATO military supporter of Ukraine, and why we will continue to stand with Ukraine in the face of Russia’s unjustified invasion.
We will discuss, I’m sure, many matters today. One of them is, of course, the Strait of Hormuz and the impact that its closure is having on all of our peoples, and on our economies, and on the global economy. We will work with Germany and others in support of efforts to reopen the Strait and to restore navigational rights and freedoms – freedoms which matter to our economies, to the entire world, which is being impacted by the unprecedented disruption to energy supply. This is also an example of why we place so much emphasis on the resilience of our nations, of our economies, and of supply chains, and why we are working together, Australia and Germany, and also the European Union, to strengthen security of critical mineral supply chains.
We also know that without collective action to protect our multilateral system, we risk the rules and norms that our countries rely on being replaced by something far worse – a world in which coercion overrides sovereignty, and a world in which disinformation overwhelms public discourse. We see this already, misinformation and disinformation in both the regions in which we live, deployed to weaken democracy, to weaken our institutions, and to undermine social cohesion amongst our people. So we are pushing back together, along with others, to reinforce our collective resilience, and this same commitment extends to supporting vulnerable small island states, particularly in the lead up to COP31. This will be particularly important for the Pacific region, and for sending a strong message globally about the importance of climate action. So I want to express how grateful I am to being received so warmly, and how much Australia is looking forward to these discussions today on how we can work even more closely together to build resilience, to protect rules and norms, and to enhance our collective security. Thank you very much.
