Unity on the crucial issues of our age

Foreign Minister Wadephul is travelling to London with Federal Chancellor Merz to sign the German-UK Friendship Treaty. He will also meet with his British counterpart David Lammy to discuss current international challenges. Coordination with our British partners and friends – be it on Iran, Ukraine or the Indo-Pacific, be it bilaterally, in formats such as the E3 (Germany, UK and France), Weimar+ (the Weimar Triangle countries Germany, France and Poland plus other European partners), or together with the United States – is vital for security and stability.

A new foundation for the decades to come – the signing of the German-UK Friendship Treaty

Bilateral relations are being raised to a new level with today’s signing of the Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Friendship and Bilateral Cooperation in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The Treaty deepens our cooperation in key spheres such as security, defence, the economy, migration and civil society, and establishes a new bilateral foundation for the decades to come.

The intensive negotiations under the auspices of the two countries’ foreign ministries began in September 2024 and have been completed in under a year. Following the Treaty’s passage through the Cabinet on 16 July 2025 and signature on 17 July 2025, it must be approved by the German Bundestag.

The Treaty lays down the legal framework for German-UK relations. It is flanked by an Implementation Plan that sets out the concrete benefits that such an agreement could bring for the people of both countries.

More information, including the text of the Treaty, the Implementation Plan and facts on the regional dimension can be found here.

Talks in Norway: Focus on security

Foreign Minister Wadephul will continue his journey to Oslo for his first visit since assuming office. There he will meet his counterpart Espen Barth Eide. Norway and Germany are close partners. The two countries cooperate in NATO, are partners in the European Economic Area, pursue bilateral energy relations, and work together to promote human rights, the rule of law and cooperation in multilateral fora.

Norway shares a border with Russia. The security threat posed by Russia, as demonstrated by its war of aggression against Ukraine, is particularly obvious in its immediate neighbourhood. The Ministers’ talks will therefore focus on what this means for Europe’s security architecture. Germany and Norway want to further intensify their close cooperation in NATO in this context. Other topics for discussion include the protection of critical infrastructure, the situation in the Middle East, and energy and defence policy issues.

Cooperation on armaments, defence and business

For more than 50 years, Germany and Norway have cooperated closely under an arms agreement, in particular in the naval sector. The joint development and procurement of submarines is a unique venture, and a sign of the close cooperation and great trust between the two countries.

Germany has furthermore been one of Norway’s most important trading partners for many years, and the two countries cooperate closely in the energy sector. Germany currently obtains approximately 48% of its gas imports from Norway. The NordLink power cable has connected German wind power and Norwegian hydropower since April 2021. The visit will therefore also focus on advancing the joint energy partnership.