UK, Germany ink "Friendship and Cooperation Treaty"

(MENAFN) The United Kingdom and Germany have signed a wide-ranging "Friendship and Cooperation Treaty" designed to deepen collaboration in areas such as defense, foreign affairs, migration, and economic development.

The agreement was finalized during a formal event held in central London, where UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were both present.

Described by reports as the most significant agreement between the two nations since the end of World War II, the treaty marks a new chapter in UK-Germany relations.

During the signing ceremony, Chancellor Merz called it a “historic day for German-British relations,” and emphasized that such a formal partnership was “long overdue.”

“We want to work more closely together, especially after the UK's exit from the EU,” Merz said. “There are so many areas where the UK and we can work together even more closely than in the past -- in defense, foreign policy, economic policy, and domestic policy.”

One key feature of the treaty is its emphasis on education and youth engagement. It outlines new steps to facilitate student and school exchange programs between the two nations.

“I am pleased that we were able to reach an agreement that will make it easier for schoolchildren and students to come to Great Britain in the future, and vice versa, to come to Germany,” Merz added.

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