Marcos cites, hails strong PH-Germany ties
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said the state visit of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the country signals Germany’s deepening relationship with the Philippines across various areas of cooperation.
In his statement during a joint press conference with Steinmeier at Malacañan Palace, Marcos thanked Steinmeier for Germany’s support for development cooperation programs and projects in the Philippines, including peace and development efforts in Mindanao.
READ: German President Steinmeier set for June 15-17 PH visit
“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,” said Marcos.
Germany is the Philippines’ biggest trading and investment partner in Europe, with total bilateral trade at about US$5.5 billion, or around P320 billion, and net foreign direct investments amounting to US$10.26 million, or approximately P600 million, in 2025.
Marcos also highlighted Germany’s support for the Philippines in defense cooperation, as shown by its participation as an observer in the Balikatan exercises since 2024.
“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,” he said.
“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,” Marcos added.
As chair of the 2026 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summits, Marcos expressed appreciation for Germany’s continued support for the regional bloc’s community-building efforts.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Germany being a development partner of 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,” Marcos said.
“The Philippines looks forward to continuing to enhance our partnership with Germany in the years ahead,” he continued.
Earlier, Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, were received by Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos during a welcome ceremony at the Kalayaan Grounds in Malacañan Palace.
They also attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal Monument in Luneta. /gsg
