PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will meet with German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier next week as the Philippines and Germany seek to deepen their defense and maritime cooperation, Malacañang said Thursday.
Steinmeier, who will undertake a state visit to the Philippines from June 15 to 17, will hold a bilateral meeting with Marcos in Malacañang on Tuesday.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said that Marcos and Steinmeier are expected to discuss a broad range of issues. Among the topics on the agenda are defense cooperation, peace-building initiatives, maritime cooperation, trade and investment, climate change, renewable energy, and people-to-people exchanges.
The two leaders are also expected to exchange views on regional and international developments, including the Philippines' ongoing chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
The state visit comes as the Philippines and Germany continue to strengthen diplomatic relations that span more than seven decades.
"Steinmeier’s visit marks a key moment in the over seven-decade-long diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Germany," the PCO said.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on Oct. 8, 1954.
The last visit by a German Head of State was undertaken by German President Heinrich Lübke and wife Wilhelmine Lübke in 1963.
Marcos visited Germany in March 2024, where he met then-German chancellor Olaf Scholz during a working visit to Berlin that coincided with the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Germany remains the Philippines' largest trading and investment partner among member states of the European Union.
Several major German firms have established operations in the Philippines, including Siemens, Lufthansa Technik, Deutsche Bank, Bayer, and Bosch.
The two countries have also expanded cooperation in recent years in areas such as renewable energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and workforce development.
Germany has also been a development partner of Asean since 2016 and has consistently supported a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.
