speeches
New U.S. Ambassador William R. Timken Jr. arrived in Germany
August 24, 2005
Arrival Statement by the designated Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr.
Guten Morgen, meine Damen und Herren.
Let me begin by saying how delighted Sue and I and our family are to be here in Germany - the birthplace of my great-grandfather - and to have the opportunity to live and work here in this beautiful and historic city of Berlin.
I am extremely honored that I have been asked by President Bush to serve as America's Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. I am pleased to follow in a long line of very distinguished American Ambassadors, from John Quincy Adams to Henry Cabot Lodge to Arthur Burns to Richard Holbrooke and to my immediate predecessor, Dan Coats.
In May, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of our alliance and partnership. Over these past 50 years, the United States and Germany have forged a strong and effective partnership that has contributed greatly to the peace and security of Europe. Our two countries' shared values and efforts to advance freedom and democracy and prosperity have served as beacons of hope for many around the world.
Even today as I speak, Americans and Germans are working side by side to promote stability in Afghanistan, to promote sustainable development in Africa, and put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Officials of our two nations are also exploring ways to better protect our citizens from the threat of global terrorism.
In the economic arena, German and American entrepreneurs are pioneering new systems and technologies that are changing not only the way companies do business, but also the very way that people lead their lives.
The U.S.-German relationship is a dynamic one and offers a bright future for our peoples, so I look forward to working with the German government to strengthen bilateral cooperation on the broad range of issues that we face.
Sue and I look forward as well, very much, to traveling throughout Germany to listen and learn about this very exciting and culturally rich nation. In doing so, we want to engage the German people in a friendly and open dialogue on how Americans and Germans can work more closely together to meet successfully the challenges of the 21st century.
So again, for us, it's an extreme pleasure to finally be here in Berlin. I know that since the moment that people knew we were coming here, we have had only the strongest recommendations for Berlin, right to the last moments and the flight attendant on the airplane said, it is the greatest city in the world to live.
So, we are very pleased to be here, and we look forward to seeing all of you again in the future very soon.
Thank you.
 Arrival of Delta flight DL078 in Berlin-Tegel |
 Ambassador-desigante Timken is greeted by Frau Minkmar of the German Foreign Ministry |
 Mrs. Timken is also welcomed to Berlin. |
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 The Timken family |  Ambassador-designate Timken |
 Press event at Berlin-Tegel |
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