Statement by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Joint Press Conference with His Excellency Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany

His Excellency Frank-Walter Steinmeier

Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany,

Esteemed members of the German delegation,

My colleagues in the Philippine government,

Distinguished guests,

Members of the media,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my honor and pleasure to welcome President Steinmeier today in Malacañan Palace—the first visit of a German President to the Philippines in over 60 years.

The President’s visit is a clear indication of Germany’s commitment to sustain the momentum of high-level exchanges between our countries, following my productive visit to Berlin to meet with then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz in March 2024, the same year that the Philippines and Germany celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations.

During our bilateral meeting this morning, the President and I discussed our various areas of cooperation, including peace and development, defense, maritime cooperation, economic cooperation, climate change, renewable energy, and labor.

Our relations with Germany are important not just because our portfolio of cooperation spans a wide array of sectors, but because these partnerships and projects have proven
to be successful and beneficial to our national development efforts.

I thanked President Steinmeier for Germany’s support for development cooperation programs and projects in the country, including on peace and development efforts in Mindanao.

On economic cooperation, Germany remains a strong partner of the Philippines in terms of trade and investment, being the Philippines’ biggest trading and investment partner in the EU, with total bilateral trade at about USD5.5 billion and net foreign direct investments amounting to USD10.26 million in 2025.

There are notable German companies present in our country including Siemens, Lufthansa Technik, Deutsche Bank, Bayer, and Bosch, among many others.

On defense cooperation, Germany is an important defense partner of the Philippines, and has been participating as an observer in the Balikatan exercises for three years now since 2024.

Germany is also an important partner and like-minded country in the Philippines’ efforts to promote the rule of law and the rules-based international order.

I thanked Germany specifically for consistently and publicly expressing its support for Philippine efforts to uphold the rule of law in the South China Sea, including by calling
on all parties to abide by the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award.

On maritime cooperation, I conveyed appreciation for the partnership in modernizing the maritime and aviation capabilities of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). This includes the provision by Germany of two Airbus H145 twin-engine helicopters in 2019 and unmanned aerial vehicles in 2024.

Germany has also been supporting the swift conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and the European Union, with the sixth round of negotiations held on 18 to 22 May 2026 in Manila.

On people-to-people ties, the 45,000-strong Filipino community in Germany, many of whom are nurses and nursing associate professionals, is a strong foundation of our continued relations.

Beyond their role in the labor market, they are essential partners in Germany’s society and economy, bringing world-class expertise, skills, and a professional work ethic to the
sectors that matter most for Germany, such as the healthcare sector, finance, engineering, and IT services.

The Philippines also appreciates Germany’s cooperation on technical and vocational education and training (TVET) through research, innovation, and capacity building.

On many cooperative development endeavors, I acknowledge Germany’s support for the Philippines through the German Society for International Cooperation or GIZ.

Germany’s strength in renewable energy technology and the Philippines’ abundance of natural resources and friendly investment environment make the two countries natural partners in this sector.

The Philippines, as the Chair of ASEAN, expressed appreciation for Germany’s continued support for ASEAN’s community-building efforts. 2026 also marks the 10th anniversary of Germany being a Development Partner of ASEAN.

I also conveyed the Philippines’ support for Germany’s application to be a Sectoral Dialogue Partner with ASEAN.

We also had an exchange of views on regional and international matters of mutual concern, including the security situation in the Indo-Pacific, in Europe, and in the Middle East.

The Philippines looks forward to continuing to enhance our partnership with Germany in the years ahead.

Thank you, President Steinmeier and the members of your delegation for this visit.

I hope you return to Germany not only with fond memories of the Philippines but with renewed vigor to pursue further areas of cooperation in what has already been over 70 years of fruitful partnership between our two countries and friendship between our peoples.

Thank you very much. [applause]

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