I am travelling to Atlanta for the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting to promote the principle of freedom in international economic relations. As an export-oriented nation, we depend on open trade routes, stable energy prices, resilient supply chains and reliable access to global markets.

Today, many of these prerequisites for growth are under threat. In the Strait of Hormuz and at Bab al-Mandab, freedom of navigation is being severely restricted, driving up energy prices worldwide. Russia’s increasingly aggressive actions, including those against merchant ships in the Black Sea, are jeopardising global food security.

Even though we in the G20 sometimes view the world from very different perspectives, one thing is clear to the overwhelming majority: Russia and Iran must finally stop hijacking trade routes and thus provoking economic crises and hunger.

To those who seek fair cooperation in these unstable times, we offer our network of global partnerships. The G20 is the ideal forum to weave this network even tighter: after all, we share many strategic interests with countries such as India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brazil and Mexico. We want to deepen our economic ties with them and work together in our mutual interest to foster robust international rules. This will enable us to open up opportunities for our companies, secure jobs and ensure a reliable supply of critical raw materials.

Ahead of the G20 Meeting, I will travel to Panama – a country that is working alongside us to promote a strong multilateral order and is the most important market for German business in Central America. The Panama Canal connects two of the world’s oceans and is thus a lifeline for global trade. Given the restrictions on freedom of navigation on other maritime routes, the Canal is more important than ever today – over the past 12 months, a record 521 million tonnes of goods passed through it. It is therefore also of strategic importance for the German economy. I am very grateful to Panama for maintaining this waterway so responsibly and ensuring it is fit for the future, as well as more generally focusing on preserving balance in the region.