We are delighted that we can gather here with you all for our reception today as guests of this beautiful museum. We had actually intended to be welcoming you to this reception pretty much exactly two years ago. Unfortunately, that was not possible, as we all remember. We were thwarted by a pandemic. And so you can be sure that we are very happy to be able to meet face to face this evening.

We just had the wonderful opportunity to see the Mexica hall – and to stand before the truly impressive Sun Stone. What magnificence, what power, what energy emanates from this real giant! An energy that reflects what a self-assured culture is presented in that hall. And you might almost wish that you could somehow travel back in time and visit that city and its people on their island in the middle of a lake – and hear where they actually came from, what concerns they had back then and how they lived.

But even those who would like to travel back in time have to recognise that time machines don’t exist, and that may be a good thing. It is certainly fortunate, however, that there is a museum like this, which preserves what was believed to be lost and gathers it together in this wonderful collection, to give us a wide-open window on the world.

What is important, after all, is the realisation that we need windows not only onto the past but also onto the present – or I might put it like this: windows wide open onto the worlds of others, onto another country with a different culture, a different language. I am convinced that only by learning about one another do we glean insights into the rules of an international order that guarantees peace, prosperity and the protection of our natural heritage.

Unfortunately, it is also true that we are currently all witnessing the blatant violation of this order. We all share the sense of outrage at Russia’s brutal, illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. As a European I am very glad that important partners throughout the world, among them Mexico, are taking a clear stance on this war, condemning it and standing with Ukraine alongside us.

Mexico and Germany have founded their social orders, their democracies, on common values and have enjoyed ties of friendship, and I mean this in both political and economic terms, for decades. I am very happy about that. It is important also for friends to keep hearing one another’s perspective and listening to one another.

And that is exactly what we have done today. We made good use of this chance with various partners, including the Mexican President, with whom we had in-depth talks, both privately and in larger delegations involving several ministers. And it was a great honour for me to have been invited by the Senate of Mexico to address the House on the state of the partnership between Germany and Mexico.

Moreover, it is a particular pleasure and a very special honour for me to be able to call myself, as of today, an honorary citizen of Mexico City.

We began today with talks between German and Mexican business representatives, where I heard once again that the current situation is very pleasing: 2100 firms are registered in Mexico with German holdings, and they employ 300,000 people. Many of them are young people, trainees, who are undergoing vocational training involving both theoretical and practical work, a dual system with which we have experience. All this is very gratifying.

Tomorrow we want to sneak a peek into the future, because there are over 470 higher education partnerships between Germany and Mexico. Tomorrow we will talk with scientists and others about sustainable economic management, about the fight against climate change, and about how innovative this partnership between Germany and Mexico will be in future.

A few thoughts in conclusion. It is good to be able to exchange views on occasions like this. In particular, it is good to be able again and again to learn from each other. And I want to state very clearly once again that my wife and I, and our entire delegation, indeed the whole of Germany, keenly want an even closer partnership with Mexico.

And one thing we must not forget is to celebrate when we finally see one another again! That is what we intend to do here this evening. I wish you all a pleasurable evening and enjoyable conversations at the many tables arranged around the room. On that note, we would invite you all to raise your glasses and join us in a toast to the future of German-Mexican friendship!