MFA Press Statement: Joint Declaration by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan and the Minister for Foreign Affair of the Federal Republic of Germany Heiko Maas, 28 Sep 2018, on the sidelines of the UNGA

                  Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan had a bilateral meeting with German Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 28 September 2018. They reaffirmed the longstanding and excellent relations between Singapore and Germany. They welcomed the upcoming signing of the Free Trade Agreement, Investment Protection Agreement, as well as the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Singapore in October 2018 in Brussels.  These agreements will strengthen ties between both countries and the two regions. The Ministers also exchanged views on regional and global developments.

         Following their meeting, Minister Balakrishnan and Minister Maas issued a Joint Declaration to reaffirm the commitment of both Singapore and Germany to free trade, multilateralism and a rules-based global order, and to deepen cooperation at all levels.  The text of the Joint Declaration is appended below.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
28 SEPTEMBER 2018

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JOINT DECLARATION BY THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN AND THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY HEIKO MAAS, 28 SEPTEMBER 2018, ON THE SIDELINES OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NEW YORK

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Heiko Maas, on the basis of the longstanding partnership characterized by mutual trust, clearly affirm their commitment to the rules-based global order, in particular the protection of universal human rights, as enshrined in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, multilateralism, rules-based free trade, climate protection, including robust support for the faithful implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, and agree to work even more closely together on these matters in the future.  Both sides assert their interest in continuing their countries’ close cooperation in multilateral fora. The Ministers affirm their shared views on issues, including the hope for lasting peace and eventual denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the importance of the JCPOA and the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.

Both Ministers welcome the signing of the Free Trade Agreement, the Investment Protection Agreement, as well as the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Singapore in October 2018. These agreements demonstrate the close partnership between the EU and Singapore, which is holding the role of Coordinator for ASEAN-EU relations until 2021, and will further deepen economic and political cooperation, and bilateral relations between our countries. These agreements are a clear and important signal of our joint commitment to strengthen rules-based free trade, especially an open and transparent multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core.

Both Ministers reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region and reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the freedom of navigation and overflight.  They also underlined the importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes, including through legal and diplomatic processes, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The Ministers agree to further intensify the already close exchange on foreign and security policy issues between their countries’ Foreign Ministries:

1. The Foreign Ministers will conduct an ongoing strategic dialogue both during bilateral visits and on the margins of multilateral formats.
   

2. The regular bilateral consultations at Permanent Secretary and State Secretary level will be continued. They encourage deeper exchanges at all levels, including on policy and planning matters.
   

3. Both sides will continue to work together in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in order to progress towards a world without nuclear weapons.
   

4. Both sides affirm to work even more closely together on security policy issues. In this regard, Regional Directors will seek a regular exchange. Germany intends to join the regional organization ReCAAP (Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia). Additionally, both sides encourage academic dialogue on security policy topics and regional issues.
   

5. Both sides will devote particular attention to intensifying cooperation in the framework of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), as well as between the EU and ASEAN, with the aim of lifting EU-ASEAN relations to a new level. 

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