Transcript of the Joint Doorstop Interview by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr Johann Wadephul, Monday, 2 February 2026

Minister Vivian Balakrishnan: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here. It is a pleasure for me to welcome Johann to Singapore. We have met three times in the last four months. That just shows you how intensively I value your counsel and our deliberations. This is your first visit as foreign minister, but you have been to Singapore before for the Shangri-La Dialogue, three times – so you know us well. Beyond the personal, Germany and Singapore are close partners. We have a strong relationship grounded in economics, defence, science, technology, education and in the digital arena as well. It is a relationship which continues to grow from strength to strength, and given the current state of the world, has become even more vital. Certainly for Singapore, and I hope for Germany as well. Our relationship was upgraded in November 2024 to a Strategic Partnership with Germany. Germans and Singaporeans do not deal with words lightly, so when we said we had a Strategic Partnership, and we assessed our relationship in all dimensions, it truly was strategic.

On the economic front, we are certainly major investors and traders with each other. There are around 2,400 German companies based in Singapore, both focused on the Singapore market but also projecting across to our region. We have a framework for sustainability and innovation. We have also declared the next year as the Singapore-Germany Year of Innovation. At the larger level with the EU, we have the Singapore-EU Free Trade Agreement. We are very glad that Germany ratified the Investment Protection Agreement in January this year, and as of yesterday, the EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement also came into effect. We look forward to Germany's leadership and Germany's commitment to bringing concrete results that will flow from these agreements.

Beyond that, at a strategic level, Germany and Singapore are natural partners. We both believe in the UN, in multilateralism, in free trade, in economic integration, in peaceful resolution of disputes. Especially at a time like this, when these precepts and principles which we have almost taken for granted for eighty years are facing existential stress, it is even more important than ever for countries like Germany and Singapore to stand up and be counted. It is in that spirit that we welcome you here, and I invite you to give us your remarks.

Minister Johann Wadephul: Thank you, Vivian. Thank you so much for the hospitality and it is no coincidence that my trip to the Indo-Pacific and to Southeast Asia is starting here. Our conversation was very fruitful and very necessary in these times. As you are heading to Washington, it was a privilege that we could have a look over the shoulder at what the other is doing – and it is very much the same. Singapore is a highly valued Strategic Partner in a strategically important region for Europe and for Germany in particular. Our diplomatic relations go back more than 50 years and have been constantly developing ever since. I am here to build on our bilateral partnership, our personal one, and the one between our countries. I also want to strengthen our engagement in the Indo Pacific. I greatly appreciate Singapore's support for Germany's aim to upgrade our partnership with ASEAN. Free and fair trade remains the backbone of prosperity for both Germany and Singapore. As the uncontested centre for finance, innovation and trade, Singapore is the economic hub in the region, home of the second largest container port worldwide, home to more than 2,400 German companies, home to 11 German banks – to name some figures. The ambitious EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, the first ever between the EU and an ASEAN country, is proof of, and a boost, for our excellent cooperation in the field of trade. Here, near the Strait of Malacca, we can feel how Europe and the Indo-Pacific are closely interconnected and how tensions in the Indo-Pacific can have a direct impact on the economy and security in Europe as well. You mentioned that we stand up for international relations that are governed by rules. Together, we aim to protect multilateralism and its institutions, because this is the basis upon which we protect our security, our freedom, and our prosperity to the best of our abilities.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

2 FEBRUARY 2026