speeches by amb. coats
Remarks by Ambassador Coats at the 10th anniversary of the Checkpoint Charlie Stiftung in Berlin
May 26, 2004
Präsident Momper,
Governing Mayor Wowereit,
Herr Schmitz,
Herr Longolius,
Frau Dr. Mehrländer,
Excellencies,
Meine Damen und Herren,
On behalf of the Embassy of the United States of America, please accept our congratulations upon the 10th anniversary of the Checkpoint Charlie Stiftung.
Please also accept our thanks and our appreciation for all the Checkpoint Charlie Stiftung has accomplished in the past 10 years.
The support of the City of Berlin has been a crucial element in its success. The City of Berlin played a unique role in the establishment of the Stiftung and its ongoing support is a recognition of the very special bonds and traditions that connect Germans and Americans.
There are a number of landmark events in the history of postwar German-American relations -- but until the late 1980s, that history was incomplete. Americans were exposed to only a part of Germany; and not all Germans were exposed to America. As a result, some in the new German states might recognize the unique transatlantic relationship, but not feel included in the those special bonds of friendship and partnership. Our viewpoint is that those bonds do indeed extend to all parts of the Federal Republic, old and new, and that they are being enriched and developed in historic ways. At the Embassy, one of our priorities is to build and extend the channels of dialogue between all of Germany and America.
The Checkpoint Charlie Stiftung is one example of a new generation and network of institutions and relationships that has emerged in Berlin. The effort that your organization takes to initiate new exchange or library programs is the heart and soul of our cultural relations.
Berlin has always been a hub for ideas. Today, as a free and united city governing a free and united Germany, Berlin has the chance to project this energy and this dynamism outward throughout the nation, and throughout a reunited Europe. The United States is proud to be a part of the process of integration and development that followed reunification. The history of where we have been is part of the vision of where we are going and the work of the Checkpoint Charlie Stiftung represents a synthesis of the best of our those ideas.
