It was the inaugural visit of the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, on his first European trip as Prime Minister. Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed him at the Federal Chancellery.

Final report submitted

At the subsequent press conference, Angela Merkel welcomed the final report of the Australia-Germany Advisory Group. It proposes ways of revitalising German-Australian relations. It has been produced over the last year under the aegis of Minister of State Maria Böhmer and the Australian Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann. The initiative dates back to the G20 meeting in Brisbane in 2014.

The report, said the Chancellor, covers the entire spectrum of bilateral relations. She singled out for special mention the fields of security dialogue, science and research, education and refugee integration. Angela Merkel pointed to the renewal of the double taxation agreement and noted, "With this report all the foundations are in place for stepping up German-Australian relations." The vitality in relations between the two countries has returned with the report, she said. In one year, the report on how to implement the proposals will be presented, announced Angela Merkel.

Cooperation on security issues

Other items on the agenda when the two leaders met were the conflict in Syria and inter-governmental cooperation on matters of security and defence. In January 2013, within the scope of a bilateral visit by Robert Carr, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, the "Berlin-Canberra Declaration of Intent on a Strategic Partnership" was signed.

More cooperation arrangements between universities

The number of twinning agreements between Australian and German universities has doubled to about 500 over the last ten years. The lively exchange between universities and research scientists and other academics is fostered on the German side by scholarship programmes, especially those run by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). DAAD runs its own information centre in Sydney and offers a first point of contact for all Australians interested in studying or conducting research in Germany.