Hasler on economic and foreign policy dialogues in Germany – Liechtenstein
WIESBADEN/VADUZ Foreign Minister Dominique Hasler met Astrid Wallmann (CDU), President of the Hessian State Parliament, and Lucia Puttrich (CDU), Minister of State responsible for European and federal affairs, in Wiesbaden on October 14, 2022. According to the broadcast, the talks serve to exchange information on current topics such as the war of aggression against Ukraine and the associated problems for Europe, such as refugee flows, sanctions and energy shortages.
Government Councilor Dominique Hasler with Minister of State Tobias Lindner (Source: Federal Foreign Office)
During the visit to the Hessian state parliament and the Hessian state chancellery, Foreign Minister Hasler provided information about Liechtenstein’s international commitment in these areas. She also emphasized Liechtenstein’s resolute stance towards Russia. At the same time, according to the dispatch options, it is discussing the creation of an accountability mechanism at the International Criminal Court (ICC) analogous to the Syrian mechanism, which has already been supported by Liechtenstein.
Industrial location, financial center and culture
The foreign minister’s visit was mainly due to the strengthening of relations with the federal state of Hesse. According to the ministry, Liechtenstein and Hesse have a lot in common. Hesse is one of the most industrialized federal states in Germany, where leading Liechtenstein industrial companies such as Hilti, Ivoclar-Vivadent and Oerlikon-Balzers also have branches. In addition, the Frankfurt financial center is important for the Liechtenstein financial center. The Liechtenstein-Hessian relations also extend to the cultural sector, such as the annual book fair in Frankfurt, where Liechtenstein is regularly represented, or the activities of the German-Liechtenstein Circle of Friends in Wetzlar.
High-level political talks in Berlin
From October 17 to 18, Foreign Minister Dominique Hasler visited Berlin to attend bilateral meetings at the highest official level and to take part in the Körber Foundation’s Foreign Policy Forum 2022. The Foreign Minister was accompanied by Liechtenstein’s Ambassador to Germany, Isabel Frommelt-Gottschald. The aim of the visit was, on the one hand, to network Liechtenstein more closely with Germany in various ministries and, on the other hand, to inform Germany about the European “embedding” and about Liechtenstein’s multilateral commitment.
In Berlin, Foreign Minister Hasler held talks with State Secretary Bärbel Kofler from the German Ministry for Development Cooperation (BMZ), Minister of State Tobias Lindner from the Federal Foreign Office, the Political Director (Tjorven Bellmann) and the Commissioner for Questions of and Special International Law (Tania von Uslar – same) of the Federal Foreign Office. At all of these meetings, questions about the positioning of Germany and Liechtenstein and mutual support in the face of the current geopolitical upheavals were discussed.
Discussions with members of the German Bundestag and various think tanks
In the German Bundestag, the Foreign Minister also meets with members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the European Affairs Committee, the United Nations Subcommittee and the Parliamentary Group/OSCE. At a working lunch at the invitation of the embassy with members of the Bundestag and representatives of think tanks and ministries, the Foreign Minister had another opportunity to discuss Liechtenstein’s position in the context of the current geopolitical changes. Among those present were Anton Hofreiter (Greens), Chair of the Europe Committee in the Bundestag, and Renata Alt (FDP), Chair of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid.
Participation and keynote speech at the “Berlin Foreign Policy Forum” of the Körber Foundation
After the opening of the forum on October 18, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock gave the keynote speech at the VIP lunch on “International Criminal Justice”. The Berlin Foreign Policy Forum is one of the most important annual foreign policy conferences in Berlin to discuss foreign policy challenges for Germany and Europe. The 2022 forum included the topic “The Price of Peace: Rethinking Security for Germany and Europe”, on which foreign and defense ministers debated with high-ranking representatives of the academic world. The Körber Foundation, founded in 1959, deals with various social and foreign policy issues and has its own national and international projects that it oversees from Hamburg and Berlin.