Prime Minister advocates for stronger ties with Germany during visit to Hamburg

Prime Minister 

Dr. Harini Amarasuriya 

German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier 

• German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya attend annual gathering of German Asia-Pacific Association as Guests of Honour
• Steinmeier calls for strengthened engagement in Asia-Pacific region 
• Dr. Amarasuriya highlights potential for strengthening economic ties between Sri Lanka and Germany
• Speech marks 125th anniversary of OAV
• OAV Chairman Dr. Arnd Nenstiel urges pragmatic approach to trade agreements
• Hamburg’s First Mayor says OAV is a powerful network for promotion of German-Asian relations

 

German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya attended the 102nd East Asia friendship dinner, the annual gathering of the German Asia-Pacific Business Association (OAV), as Guests of Honour. 

For the 102nd time, more than 300 representatives from business, politics and diplomacy gathered on Friday in the ballroom of Hamburg City Hall, Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city and a major European port city.

Other notable attendees included Bhutan’s Education Minister Yeezang De Thapa, more than 15 Ambassadors to Germany from the Asia-Pacific region, and seven German diplomats. The main sponsor of the 102nd East Asia friendship dinner was HSBC Germany.

The OVA was founded in Hamburg in 1900 and is committed to expanding Germany’s economic relations with the rapidly growing economies of the Asia-Pacific region. The largest association in Germany for the promotion of German-Asian business relationships, the OAV celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2025

As part of this major networking event of the German-Asian business community, a series of specialised events covering various countries and current economic policy issues across the Asia-Pacific region were held in the lead-up to the banquet at Hamburg City Hall. The ‘German-Asian Forum on Vocational Education and Training 2025’ also took place, attracting around 100 participants.

Federal President of Germany outlines foreign trade diversification strategy

In a 20-minute keynote address on Friday evening, President Steinmeier made a strong case for establishing future-oriented partnerships with countries in the Asia-Pacific region. According to Steinmeier, such action is urgently needed to reduce asymmetries and dependencies and mitigate the effects of increasing protectionism in world trade. To achieve this, it is important to better exploit the diverse opportunities in this dynamic region, Steinmeier said. “Recently, we have been forced to witness how close friends and allies are turning away from the order they played such a crucial role in establishing, and are celebrating wilfulness as progress,” Steinmeier noted. “The 102nd East Asia friendship dinner and 125 years of the OAV stand for something that might seem old-fashioned at first glance in our time but is all the more important in a time of crisis: partnership.”

Within this partnership framework, Steinmeier highlighted the vast opportunities the Asian market presents for Germany. “We will continue to diversify our foreign trade, reduce our economic and security policy dependencies, and forge closer political contacts with a larger number of countries, including in the area of trade policy,” Steinmeier said.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister showcases positive investment climate

As Guest of Honour, Dr. Amarasuriya highlighted the significant potential for strengthening the economic ties between Sri Lanka and Germany, in front of an audience of 300 dignitaries. She pointed to her country’s improving economy, resurgent tourism, and policy reforms that have fostered an attractive environment for investment and business.

According to the Prime Minister, Germany is both a role model and an important partner in the further development of vocational education in Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister emphasised: “For the first time in Sri Lanka’s history, the results of the Parliamentary Elections held last year reflected a collective and unified voice from people of all regions of the country.” 

She highlighted that the new Government is committed to taking tangible steps in the interest of further advancing national unity and reconciliation. She also highlighted that the current Parliament, which was formed after the election, is one of the most inclusive in Sri Lanka’s history, with a record number of women and representatives of different communities.

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya also attended the ‘German-Asian Forum on Vocational Education and Training’ organised by the OAV. In a keynote speech at this forum, she conveyed Sri Lanka’s appreciation to the German Government’s assistance for the upliftment of the vocational education sector in Sri Lanka which dates back to the establishment of the Sri Lanka-German Technical Training Institute in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, in 1959, one of the milestones of the bilateral relationship. She stated that Sri Lanka aims to transform vocational education into a modern, relevant field that will help create a skilled workforce that meets the demands of the industry, and which offer the youth of Sri Lanka real career paths, both in Sri Lanka and abroad.

During her visit to Hamburg, the Prime Minister held a bilateral meeting with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

She also took part in a Business Roundtable with over 20 member companies of the OAV and visited German research and technology hubs in the city including ITECH, a vocational school for IT, electrical, and chemical engineering, NXP Semiconductors, a leading global semiconductors company, and DESY, Germany’s largest accelerator centre.

The OAV is active in Sri Lanka through the BMO Membership Organisation Partnership Programme in Jaffna, which is a collaboration between the OAV and the Northern Chamber of Industries (NCI), and the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC) in Colombo. The program aims to strengthen the competence and engagement of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in relation to public institutions and is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Hamburg Mayor Tschentscher champions removing trade barriers, not creating new ones

Dr. Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, underscored the importance of trade agreements, adding that it was in everyone’s interest to remove tariffs and trade barriers rather than introduce new ones. With its port, Hamburg serves as a bridge between European and Asian markets.

In congratulating the OAV on its 125th anniversary, Tschentscher commended its efforts, saying: “The OVA and its members in Hamburg, Germany, and throughout the world form a powerful network for strengthening German-Asian relations.”

OAV President calls for conclusion of EU trade agreements

In his speech, OAV Chairman Dr. Arnd Nenstiel, addressed the changing landscape of global trade, noting the threats posed by increasingly protectionist policies.

“To avoid significant losses in prosperity for Germany as an export nation, we must explore new markets,” Dr. Nenstiel stated. “This requires an entrepreneurial and pioneering spirit as well as the willingness to take risks, similar to what we saw in the founding years of the OAV,” he said.

“We need cooperation in innovative areas where Europe risks falling behind, either technologically or due to demographic challenges,” Dr. Nenstiel continued.

According to Dr. Nenstiel, a fundamental political shift in thinking is also necessary. Dr. Nenstiel stressed the importance of swift and decisive action to bring ongoing trade agreement negotiations to pragmatic conclusions. These agreements are an important addition to the rules of global free trade, as defined by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Nenstiel said. He suggested deliberately setting aside issues where States cannot reach agreement.

Dr. Nenstiel criticised the EU’s lengthy decision-making processes, which hinder deeper trade relations between economic regions. He called on the future German Government to provide clear trade policy leadership within the EU. Europe must intensify efforts to develop relations with Asian partners, he warned, or risk being left behind by other global players.