Germany and Tonga Issue Joint Declaration: 150 Years of Friendship Treaty, Germany Pledges 5 Million Euros to Pacific Resilience Facility
Germany's Federal Foreign Office issued a press release on November 3 saying that, on the occasion of the official visit of His Majesty King Tupou VI of Tonga to Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Tonga issued a joint declaration celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship of 1 November 1876 and 50 years of diplomatic relations.
The two countries aim to intensify their political, economic and cultural ties, including deeper diplomatic and consular cooperation, exemplified by the recent accreditation of Tonga's ambassador in the United Kingdom also to Germany. On culture, they seek to facilitate a partnership between the Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz and corresponding partners in Tonga, and to explore further cooperation in areas such as technical, vocational and professional education.
Climate action is a central theme. Germany and Tonga recognise that climate change and sea-level rise represent an existential threat to Tonga and other Small Island Developing States. Germany has earmarked a contribution of five million euros to the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), which has its headquarters in Tonga, and the two countries will strengthen their partnership within the Coalition for Addressing Sea-level Rise and its Existential Threats (C-SET) and the UN Group of Friends on Climate and Security.
The declaration also reaffirms both countries' commitment to the rules-based international order and the UN Charter. Germany thanked Tonga for its steadfast support in the UN against Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and commended Tonga's role as a peacekeeping nation, and it recognised the central role of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in regional security and prosperity.
(Source: Federal Foreign Office of Germany)
Source: Federal Foreign Office of Germany
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 汤加国王图普六世2025年照片。新西兰总督府（Government House, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet）发布，CC0，Wikimedia Commons
