Joint Press Statement by Prime Minister Rt Hon John Key and Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel

In our meeting today in Auckland we reaffirmed the close and long-standing relations between our two countries, building on the 60 years of diplomatic relations which we celebrated just last year.

Our partnership is defined by shared fundamental values, vibrant political, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation, as well as very strong people-to-people links. 

We took stock of the excellent state of play of our bilateral relationship and the value we accord to our close cooperation in a range of international fora. 

• We noted the many areas of common interest between Germany and New Zealand and agreed there was scope for intensified high level engagement between our governments.  We tasked officials to look into possibilities on how to strengthen dialogue and make recommendations.
• We agreed to support efforts to increase mutual trade and investments, through revitalising the basis for our economic relationship.  In this context we welcomed the commitment in the EU New Zealand Joint Declaration of March 2014 to reflect on options to progress the trade and economic relationship including the parameters for the possible opening of negotiations to further liberalise trade and investment between the EU and New Zealand.
• We welcomed the strong engagement between New Zealand and Germany in science and innovation.  We encouraged initiatives which will make best use of the high innovative competence of our countries, such as the successful InterCoast project between the University of Bremen and the University of Waikato, the developing collaboration in medical robotics between the Universities of Auckland and Stuttgart and the German Fraunhofer Institute, and our broad cooperation in Antarctic research and in agricultural technology.
• We agreed that meeting the challenge of climate change requires a global solution that encourages maximum ambition from all countries.  To that end we will seek a strong and comprehensive legally binding climate change agreement in Paris 2015, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• Climate change threatens to undermine efforts towards economic growth and sustainable development.  We seek an ambitious Post-2015 Agenda, and will build on our joint efforts in the field of development cooperation in the South Pacific with a strong focus on green technologies and renewable energies.
• 100 years after the commencement of the First World War which took a heavy toll on both our people, we reaffirmed our joint commitment to peace and stability. We will continue to cooperate closely on matters of international peace and security, human rights, non-proliferation and counterterrorism, including activities within the United Nations system and regional fora.
• We agreed that broad international cooperation is necessary in order to counter ISIL and further stabilise Iraq and the region.  We called on the international community to tackle the threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
• We agreed on the importance of lending our full support to the UN Special Envoy to restart a political process in Syria, which is the only way to resolve this conflict and prevent further violence. We reiterated our strong concern about the plight of the millions of Syrian refugees and the tremendous burden neighbouring countries continue to bear in hosting them.
• We resolved to continue our close cooperation through NATO to further support Afghanistan to become a more secure, stable, and sovereign country.
• We called on Russia and the pro-Russian separatists to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and to commit themselves to fully implement the Minsk Agreements reached in September 2014 in order to stop all violence and to reach a sustainable political solution.
• We underlined the importance of maritime security for trade and commerce and agreed on the importance of promoting the resolution of maritime disputes in accordance with international law.
• The fight against Ebola is a new and complex challenge for the international community. Our common goal is to stop Ebola spreading further and treat patients. We want to isolate Ebola, not the affected countries.
• We noted that the forthcoming G20 meeting in Brisbane was an important opportunity to harmonize international efforts to stabilize the global economic and financial system and we commended the Australian G-20 Presidency for its work to make this Summit a success.