As they say, it’s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. Unfortunately, neither you, Chancellor Merz, nor I, can see into the future. However, what we can do is to have a programme that enables us to shape this future – our country’s future – in the best possible way. Both of us firmly believe that a successful foreign policy, one that guarantees security, freedom and prosperity in our country, is crucial for this. Indeed, that is why we are here today.

Naturally, all of the heads of German missions here today know the Federal Chancellor. They know him from television. But many of them have already organised visits for you, Chancellor Merz. They have collected you from the airport and made sure that the motorcade vehicles are in the right order. They work all over the world on behalf of the Chancellor and the German Government as political analysts with local expertise, as security advisers and as cultural mediators.

Chancellor Merz, you know these colleagues because they were involved in your visits to Kyiv, Washington, Paris, Warsaw, Brussels, The Hague and London, both behind the scenes and in the public eye. After all, in your first 125 days in office, Chancellor Merz, you undertook an incredible, and I would say unparalleled, travel programme. You did so because of the situation being what it is and because you are fully committed to our country’s foreign and security policy. We are very grateful to you for this.

I am sure that one of the reasons you are here today at the Federal Foreign Office is to get to know us – the foreign service, your foreign service – better. It is a huge honour for us that for the first time in its 25-year history, our Ambassadors Conference is being opened by the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. Of course, a discussion with the Chancellor is on the agenda of every Ambassadors Conference, and this year is no exception. But the fact that the Chancellor has come to the Federal Foreign Office as our guest of honour is something special.

And there is a particular reason for that. We often talk these days about how we can make Germany’s foreign policy fit for the future. The challenges are immense. A war in the heart of Europe, the protracted crisis in the Middle East, an increasingly fragmented world order, new rivalries between the major powers – the list could go on and on.

Chancellor Merz, my dear Friedrich, in view of this situation you and I have long since concurred that foreign policy is the foundation for ensuring that Germany remains capable of acting in the world. It is the foundation for making certain that our voice is heard and that we are perceived as a reliable partner. It is the foundation for our security and for fostering our prosperity.

And when I talk about foreign policy, I do not only mean high-level diplomacy. No, I also mean the foreign-policy machine room, where over 13,000 colleagues worldwide work hard for Germany and very often directly for their fellow Germans – strengthening our security alliances, identifying potential crises at an early stage, recruiting qualified skilled workers, nurturing economic relations and helping German families if they encounter difficulties during a holiday abroad.

In every one of these tasks, foreign policy is one thing above all – teamwork.

We achieve this teamwork together in the Government – in the Federal Chancellery, here at the headquarters of the Federal Foreign Office, in the relevant ministries, particularly the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Ministry of Defence, in the intelligence agencies and the domestic authorities, alongside the Members of the German Bundestag and the Diplomatic Corps here in Berlin, and of course at our 225 missions across the world.

In our teamwork, the most important thing is that we speak clearly for Germany on the international stage. Chancellor Merz, that is a goal that you and I have set ourselves. And if we want to do more than merely speak as Team Germany, if we want to actually deliver, our partners in the EU and worldwide need to know that we mean what we say and that they can count on us.

I think we have already shown this in the past four months, for example during the very first hours of the new Government when we visited France and Poland together; or when we, as part of Europe, took on responsibility for our own security; we have shown it in our support for Ukraine and the talks in Washington on peace; and we have shown it in our talks in Israel.

A joined-up foreign policy is the goal we have set ourselves, and we rely on you, dear colleagues, to carry it out.

Some people have asked if the National Security Council will make the Federal Foreign Office less important. My answer to that question is very clear: no, it will not. On the contrary! As the Federal Foreign Office, we do not define how important we are through petty squabbling and point-scoring against other ministries, let alone against the Federal Chancellery. That won’t help us in the slightest in the outside world.

On the contrary, I am firmly convinced that we will only succeed in fully exploiting Germany’s diplomatic clout if we work together, that is, if everyone in the German Government works together.

Esteemed colleagues, the Federal Foreign Office is absolutely essential for joined-up foreign policy and integrated and closely coordinated security policy. You are the people who ensure that our German voice is heard, understood and strengthened around the world. You are our multipliers and rapporteurs on the ground. Not only are you the eyes and ears of the Foreign Minister worldwide, you are also the eyes and ears of the Federal Republic of Germany. You build bridges to your host governments. You negotiate even the smallest detail until dawn if needs be. You are the first people to welcome the Chancellor or the Foreign Minister on their visits abroad and the last to wave us goodbye when we leave again.

So I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all. I am very grateful for your work to foster our country’s security, freedom and prosperity. Welcome to the 2025 Ambassadors Conference!

And, Chancellor Merz, my dear Friedrich, welcome to the Federal Foreign Office.