Government Councillor Dominique Hasler in Hamburg for high-level talks

Vaduz (ots) -

On Monday, October 9, Government Councillor Dominique Hasler met with First Mayor Peter Tschentscher for bilateral talks to deepen relations with the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. Peter Tschentscher is currently also President of the Federal Council, in which each federal state is represented by members of their state government.

Geopolitical challenges, Liechtenstein's presidency of the Council of Europe and the application of artificial intelligence key topics of discussion

The content of the meeting with First Mayor Peter Tschentscher was dominated by Liechtenstein's upcoming chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Liechtenstein's positioning and engagement in the Ukraine war, current security issues, and Liechtenstein's close partnership with Germany and the EU.

Targeted visits by federal states

As part of strategic visit diplomacy, in addition to regular government visits to Berlin, targeted visits to federal states also take place. In the current year these are Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia as well as Hamburg. It is also important to maintain good relations with the individual state governments and to cultivate mutual exchange on a regular basis. Hamburg has been visited several times by members of the government in the past. With its port, Hamburg is also an important transshipment point for Liechtenstein export goods and an interesting city-state for the financial center.

Hamburg as an important consulate location and significant in the research of AI

In addition, with over 90 consular posts, Hamburg is an international hub and the second most important consular location after New York. To strengthen and complement the network, Liechtenstein also maintains honorary consulates at selected locations. For example, the Honorary Consulate in Hamburg was opened two years ago and Gianna le Claire was appointed as Honorary Consul. At a dinner at the Liechtenstein Honorary Consulate, Government Councillor Hasler was able to discuss the challenges in Europe and the role of both countries with various personalities from the city.

Hamburg invests about 400 million euros annually in its education sector and, with its universities and educational institutions, is a major hub for research and application of artificial intelligence. Thus, a tour of the Artificial Intelligence Center Hamburg (ARIC), an interdisciplinary center for artificial intelligence, as well as a knowledge exchange with the president and research leaders of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) took place.

Germany most important trading partner

Along with Switzerland, Germany is Liechtenstein's most important trade and economic partner. An agreement on administrative assistance in tax matters according to the OECD standard (TIEA) entered into force in 2009, and a comprehensive double taxation agreement (DTA) in 2011. Germany is Liechtenstein's largest sales market in the EU. Main export items are components for the automotive industry, convenience food and high-tech exports for the German industry. in 2021, Liechtenstein direct investment in Germany was CHF 2.8 billion. German direct investments in Liechtenstein amounted to CHF 1 billion. Liechtenstein industrial companies have around 30 foreign branches in Germany and have created more than 10,000 jobs there.