A two-day visit by a delegation of politicians, local government officials, and entrepreneurs from Hamburg and the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein has just concluded. The guests arrived in Gdańsk on Monday, April 13, to set off towards Lithuania and Latvia on April 14. The delegation was headed by the Mayor of Hamburg, Dr. Peter Tschentscher, and the Minister-President of the federal state, Daniel Günther. With their first joint foreign trip, both politicians wanted to show their commitment to close cooperation in the region of northern Germany and the Baltic Sea region of Europe.

_{Monument to the Defenders of the Polish Post Office, where politicians from Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein laid wreaths
photo: Grzegorz Mehring / gdansk.pl}

The visit had its symbolic accents, such as laying flowers at the Monument to the Defenders of the Polish Post Office and visiting the European Solidarity Centre. At the same time, the main goal of the visit to Gdańsk was to strengthen cooperation in the maritime field, cybersecurity, and the defense industry. Accompanying them on their trip to Gdańsk, Vilnius, and Riga were numerous politicians: the Minister of the Interior of Schleswig-Holstein, Magdalena Finke, the Minister of Digitalization, Dirk Schrödter, Hamburg State Councilor Liv Assmann, members of the Hamburg Parliament and the Schleswig-Holstein Parliament, as well as a several-dozen-strong delegation of representatives from the worlds of business and science. Monday and Tuesday were spent on meetings with the Mayor of Gdańsk, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, representatives of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, the City of Gdynia, Tricity ports, as well as the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area and the Pomerania Development Agency. Discussions covered, among other things, potential opportunities for economic, political, and scientific cooperation. The Mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher, emphasized that both Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, as well as Gdańsk and Pomerania, share many common interests.

"Through the joint delegation trip, we want to strengthen economic relations with Poland and the Baltic States and familiarize ourselves with the security situation in the Baltic Sea region. Countries bordering Russia and our ports are particularly exposed to threats arising from the conflict in Ukraine. Through NATO and the European Union, we are strongly linked to each other in alliances, and the German armed forces actively participate in ensuring military security against Russia's aggression. As state governments, we also have a duty to independently prepare for possible crises and strengthen our resilience. This applies to cybersecurity, civil defense, and civil-military cooperation," said Peter Tschentscher.

_{Pictured: Monika Chabior - Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk, Daniel Günther - Minister-President of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, Peter Tschentscher - Mayor of Hamburg
photo: Grzegorz Mehring / gdansk.pl}

The Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein, Daniel Günther, highlighted the importance of a strong partnership in the Baltic Sea region.

"In addition to Russian aggression against Ukraine, current geopolitical events worldwide also clearly show that Europe must stick together and jointly harness its potential. Security is not created alone, but through trust and cooperation. With this trip, we want to send a clear signal that we are ready to make our contribution to the NATO alliance," said Daniel Günther.

Both politicians declared that the port of Hamburg, being a major trade hub in the Baltic Sea region, is thereby an important pillar of stability and cooperation in the area.

"We are using this trip to expand our cooperation. This applies to the protection of critical infrastructure, resilient supply chains, and security in the maritime area. It is obvious that a strong Baltic Sea region is a benefit for all of Europe," they stated.

_{From left: Peter Tschentscher - Mayor of Hamburg, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz - Mayor of Gdańsk, Daniel Günther - Minister-President of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein
photo: Grzegorz Mehring / gdansk.pl}

This is the first joint foreign trip for both politicians. They were accompanied by a very large delegation, and although no specific agreements were concluded, the meetings they held brought preliminary declarations of cooperation between local governments and enterprises. The Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area is looking with interest at the public transport organization model in Hamburg and the surrounding metropolis, which is three times larger than the Tricity metropolis but is considered exceptionally well-organized in terms of mobility. For our metropolis, these contacts will be of immense importance. Representatives of Tricity entrepreneurs from the digital, logistics, and defense sectors had the opportunity to establish contacts that will undoubtedly bring benefits in the future. The organization of this visit was made possible thanks to the cooperation of the Gdańsk City Hall, the Pomerania Development Agency, and the International Cooperation Team of the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area.