Prime Minister Key visits Germany

Prime Minister John Key with Chancellor Angela Merkel at a press conference in Berlin

The Prime Minister undertook his first official visit to Germany from 6-8 June.  The PM spent the first day in Hamburg, home to Europe’s second biggest port and a major industrial and financial centre.  His programme included meetings with business representatives from companies with connections to New Zealand, e.g. Hamburg Süd and a meeting with First Mayor of Hamburg City, Olaf Scholz, at Hamburg’s impressive Town Hall, where he was hosted to an official lunch by the Hamburg Senate.

The PM then travelled to Berlin for the centre-piece of his visit, a bilateral meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel.  The PM was received with full military honours at the Federal Chancellery and had good discussions over lunch with the Chancellor on the New Zealand-Germany relationship and our mutual engagement in international issues, especially Afghanistan and Iran.  An important additional focus of the visit was the Eurozone Crisis, and Merkel’s insights into the political responses were of particular interest to the PM.  Meetings with business leaders and senior interlocutors from the banking, business and government sectors rounded off German perspectives on the Eurozone question and provided interesting outlooks on where it all might head.  The PM also met with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, who placed special emphasis on the unique and highly valuable opportunity the guest country of honour status at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair bestowed upon New Zealand.

The visit was a model for NZ Inc cooperation, with NZTE and Tourism NZ playing significant roles in preparing for and executing the PM’s programme in both Hamburg and Berlin.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle with Prime Minister Key in Berlin

Prime Minister John Key with staff of the New Zealand Embassy in Berlin

Chancellor Angela Merkel with John Key in Berlin