Selected Events QIII 2008

Please find more events in our archive (QI/2008 | QII/2008 | QIII/2008 | QIV/2008).

Archived Events QIII: July-September 2008

Treasury Secretary Paulson meets German Minister Glos

July 1, 2008. This morning, United States Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. met with German Minister for Economics and Technology Michael Glos in Berlin to discuss global financial markets and the need to keep economies around the world open to investment as well as efforts to protect the global financial system. During a joint press availability, Paulson and Glos also addressed environment and energy issues, in particular the launch of the international clean technology fund which will increase and accelerate the deployment of cleaner, more efficient technologies in developing nations like India and China. Clean Technology Fund »
Chancellor Merkel and Former President Bush Celebrate Embassy Opening

July 4, 2008. Today the U.S. Embassy celebrated U.S. Independence Day and the Grand Opening of the new embassy building on Pariser Platz. Full Story »
Berlin Students Take Center Stage At “Dancing to Connect” Performance

July 5, 2008. Ninety high school students from five inner-city schools danced for the first time in their lives before an enthusiastic crowd of family, friends and dance lovers at one of Berlin’s most renowned theaters, the “Haus der Berliner Festspiele.” Full Story »
Thousands Celebrate German-American Friendship on Pariser Platz

July 5, 2008. “Welcome home” – the Amerikafest on July 5, 2008 was a huge success and attracted over 300,000 visitors who enjoyed American-German culture, entertainment and food under bright blue summer skies in the heart of the German capital. Full Story »
Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Sada Cumber Visits Berlin

July 18, 2008. Ambassador Sada Cumber, who was appointed earlier this year by President Bush as the first-ever U.S. Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), held a round-table discussion at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin with Muslim German academics, politicians, business executives, and community organizers to learn directly from them about the issues and challenges facing Muslim integration in Germany and throughout Europe. Full Story »
The Wittenberg Summer School Goes International

August 10-16, 2008. 40 students from 27 universities in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Russia and even as far away as Afghanistan discussed the “Vigorous Executive: The President in American Politics and Culture” at the third Wittenberg Summer School. Full Story »
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Visits Berlin

August 08, 2008. Ambassador William Timken, Jr., met with a U.S. Congressional Delegation headed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Chancery’s Quadriga Room. Other members of the delegation were Senator Jeff Bingaman, Senator Johnny Isakson, Senator Robert Menendez, and Senator Bill Nelson. Later that day, the delegation met with State Secretary Peter Ammon of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss a range of topics including Transatlantic Relations, Afghanistan, NATO, and Global Warming. The delegation had a press availability at the Chancery that afternoon. A walking tour of Berlin’s Central District from the Reichstag Building to the Gendarmenmarkt concluded the Friday program, which continued on Saturday with a visit to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC).
Globalization, U.S. Economy, and the 2008 Presidential campaigns

September 2, 2008. As part of its Transatlantic Dialogue and its year-long series on the 2008 Presidential election, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation presented a one-day seminar on “A Responsible Transatlantic Policy for the World Economy and the Role of China” on September 2, 2008 in Berlin. Co-organized by the US Embassy in Berlin, the seminar opened with a presentation by US speaker Howard Rosen from the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics, who discussed the impact of globalization in the United States and its implications in the current Presidential campaign. An audience of over 100 policy and opinion makers, academics, and students, including several Parliamentarians and staffers, took part in the discussion. More on Howard Rosen »
After the Conventions: The Race to the White House

September 9, 2008. Capitalizing on extremely high interest in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Elections, the U.S. Embassy in Berlin presented a panel discussion, featuring several prominent U.S. and German speakers. Full Story »
Family Members of 9/11 Victims Unveil Memorial Plaque

September 11, 2008. On the seventh anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, Ambassador and Mrs. Timken welcomed the families of the German victims to the Embassy in a private ceremony to unveil a memorial plaque. Full Story »
Ambassador's Statement on Patriot Day 2008

Each year since September 11, 2001, Americans join together to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on that terrible day and to honor all those who have responded in the face of terror. It is a measure of the profound friendship that joins our two countries that each year many Germans join with us to remember the pain and devastation of 9/11. More »
Memorial Service In Honor Of The Victims Of September 11, 2001

September 11, 2008. On the seventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the Jewish Community of Berlin, the U.S. Embassy and the “Centrum Judaicum” jointly hosted a memorial service at Berlin’s New Synagoge. Full Story »
Ambassador Timken Hosts Iftaar Dinner

September 12, 2008. As in the preceding years, Ambassador William Timken hosted an Iftar dinner at his residence on Friday evening, September 12, 2008. In a lively panel discussion five alumni of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) recounted their experiences in the U.S. Moderated by radio journalist Ms. Banu Baturay, herself an IVLP alumna, participants described the positive impact of their exchange experience, their impressions of the U.S., and how their trip helped change their opinions of the U.S. Especially important for this group was the willingness of Americans to look beyond stereotypes of nationality. One speaker recounted that as a test he would, in broken English, introduce himself as an American — and was always believed. Guests commented that they were impressed by the openness of the panel which included both criticism and appreciation of what they saw in the U.S. All agreed however, that the exchange experience was a major factor in their career and in their personal development. Past years events »
President Bush Attends Iftaar Dinner at the White House

September 17, 2008. As in the years before, President Bush has attended an Iftaar Dinner at the White House. In his welcome remarks the President declared: “Over the past eight years, we have made the Iftaar dinner an annual tradition here at the White House. And I’m really glad we did. At this year’s gathering, we pay special tribute to the many contribution Muslim Americans have made to our nation. We join in wishing Muslims around the world, ‘Ramadan Mubarak.’” Full Story »
School Election Project Kick-Off Event In Berlin

September 19, 2008. The U.S. Embassy’s Cultural Section, in cooperation with the Berlin-Brandenburg teacher training institute LISUM, hosted 70 teachers from Berlin and Brandenburg schools for a seminar on the presidential election campaign. Full Story »
U.S. Embassy Receives Vase from Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin

September 19, 2008. On the occasion of the opening of the new chancery in Berlin, the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (Royal Porcelain Manufacture, KPM) Berlin presented the U.S. Embassy with a vase based on a design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel from 1832. It shows a hand-painted veduta of the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin after an 1857 painting by Eduard Gärtner. U.S. Chargé d’Affaires John M. Koenig received the present in the new Chancery from KPM sole shareholder Jörg Woltmann and CEO Dr. Winfried Vogler. The handover took place on the 245th anniversary of the purchase of KPM by Frederick the Great. The present is also an expression of the bonds between Berlin and the USA. More on the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires »