Germany recognises Niue in the South Pacific

Germany is going to establish diplomatic relations with Niue and to intensify its partnership with the South Pacific island: in early January, the Federal Cabinet recognised the island, that is around 260 square metres big, as a sovereign state. The Government Spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said that the Pacific island states and their regional organisation Pacific Islands Forum were close partners in the area of climate action, for example. “We would like to deepen and consolidate our cooperation with them. Recognition of Niue as a state and establishing diplomatic relations will contribute to this.”

The island state has a population of around 1,700 and is among the world’s smallest self-governing nations. Niue is located near Tonga, around 2,400 kilometres northeast of New Zealand. The island was a territory of New Zealand until 1974, and the two countries remain closely linked through an association agreement to this day. In the next step, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will prepare a written document to formally recognise the island as a sovereign state and establish diplomatic relations, and notes verbales will also be exchanged. However, no German embassy will be set up in Niue, the statement from Berlin continues. A spokesperson from the Federal Foreign Office said that the German embassy in New Zealand’s capital Wellington would be responsible for the island state.

The sea around Niue features extraordinary biodiversity; however, the ecosystem is threatened by climate change, among other things. While the island is not acutely threatened by flooding, warming of the seawater does pose a threat to the coral reefs and other marine life, and tropical storms have already become more intense. Germany is an important climate action partner of the Pacific island states.