Two days of commemoration were held in Nuku’alofa on the 9-10 October to mark the 140^th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship between the Kingdom of Tonga and the Federal Republic of Germany.

The first Treaty of Friendship, during the reign of Tupou I, was signed on board the German warship, the SMS Hertha in Nuku’alofa on 1 November 1876.

The commemoration ceremony began with a Choral Evening at the Fa’onelua Convention Centre on 9 October and it was concluded with a luncheon with the Tonga Legislative Assembly on 10 October.

Guests were entertained by the Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir and the Tupou College Toloa Orchestra during the choral evening attended by the Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala and Crown Princess Sinaitakala Tuku’aho and the visiting President of the Bundestag of Germany (Speaker), Prof. Dr. Norbert Lammert, accompanied by members of the German Bundestag and the German Ambassador to Tonga, Gerhard Thiedemann.

Prof. Dr. Lammert said that 150 years ago Tonga was under British protection, and a newly founded German Reich was in growing competition with other European states for influence in this part of the world. "The treaty of 1876 was in the interests of both sides and quite modern in its claims and agreement. It agreed on friendship between two countries, protection of person and property of others and in freedom for culture, religion and trade. When we negotiate on trade nowadays, it is not faraway from what has been negotiated and agreed upon 150 years ago."

For Tonga, he said that this treaty was to some extent a turning point of its political existence and it put the islands on the map of nations immediately after the promulgation of the first Constitution of Tonga.

"It is symbolic that the national anthem of Tonga has been composed by a German musician Carl Gustav Schmidt born in Frankfurt."

Prof. Dr. Lammert enjoyed the performances by the Tupou Tertiary Institute Choir and the Tupou College Toloa Orchestra who performed items by German composers, including Handel's "Sing unto God", "The Trumpet Shall Sound" and "Hallelujah Chorus". The brass band was conducted by 'Eloni Niu with a solo soprano cornet by Soni Manu, and baritone Viliuhi Lomu. The TTI community choir was conducted by Savelio Mataele.

"I am very very impressed by the youthful choruses," Prof. Dr. Lammert said.

The orchestra also played other items including "Czárdás " by V. Monti with solo violinist Sione Mone jr., conducted by Samiu 'Atiola.

On Monday 10 October, Ambassador Gerhard Thiedemann and Hon. Tevita Lavemaau, Tonga’s Minister for Revenue and Customs signed an agreement for an aid project, the EUR$100,000 Solar Roof project for Prince Ngu Hospital, Neiafu, Vava'u.

Dr Lammert delivered a speech at the Tongan Parliament. He praised Tonga’s embracing of democracy, and pointed out that if Germany adopted Tonga’s electoral system with 26 elected members, they would have ended up with 2000 elected members in the German Bundestag, comparing with their current membership of only 600.

The German delegation left Tonga on 10 October.