The German and British foreign ministers pledged to cooperate more closely on foreign and security policy issues on Wednesday (June 30), reiterating their commitment to the “Strategic Unity of Europe”.
The joint initiative came before the outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the UK on Friday (July 2), where she will meet with the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Queen.
The joint statement signed by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and British Foreign Minister Dominique Raab emphasized that the two countries hope to work hard to “play a responsible leadership role on foreign policy issues and support multilateralism and a rule-based international order”.
The overall narrative of the initiative is that the two countries will work together as the main defenders of the multilateral rule system.
The statement said: “We confirm our commitment to European strategic unification and our common unconditional commitment to Euro-Atlantic security.”
It also emphasized that EU membership “remains a key reference point for Germany” and Berlin supports cooperation between the EU and the UK.
German UNSC seats?
One of its main features is that Britain supports Germany in obtaining a new permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
The joint statement said: “We support the new permanent seat of the Federal Republic of Germany in the UN Security Council,” adding that the two countries have agreed to hold an annual “strategic dialogue” on global affairs, including foreign ministers and political leaders. From both sides of the strait.
Germany has been lobbying for a permanent seat on the Security Council for many years. After the United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union, only France became a permanent member of the European Union.
European security
The initiative was put forward after the British government Publish In early March, it reformed its foreign, trade and defense policies, and London shifted its focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific region.
Although one of the fundamental reasons for the release of the review is still that the UK has recently completed its departure from the EU, the EU is rarely mentioned in the March documents.
As the UK refuses to explicitly codify the post-Brexit security relationship, relations between the UK and the EU have become strained.
The Anglo-German statement on Wednesday stated that “NATO is the cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security” and “still the cornerstone of our collective defense.”
“We recognize the importance of Europe making a stronger and more capable contribution to this end. We remain committed to the cooperation between NATO and the European Union,” the joint statement said.
On the Russian side, in addition to strongly condemning the country’s “destabilizing behavior”, the declaration also supports Berlin’s desire for dialogue with Moscow, an idea that was rejected by EU leaders during the Brussels summit last week.
