Atlantic Council Dinner

November 8, 2009

photo gallery

Berlin
Ambassador Philip D. Murphy

It is my great honor and privilege to introduce Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. The new government that Minister Westerwelle represents exemplifies the commitment to freedom and democracy that our two countries share - and have shared for the last 60 years. Since the end of World War II, successive American presidents have supported a strong transatlantic partnership. The fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification were the seals on one of the greatest success stories of modern diplomacy.

Personally, Minister Westerwelle has demonstrated a level of political engagement and commitment throughout his career, going right back to his days as a student, that is exemplary. He and many of the new ministers in the new government can truly serve as role models for a new generation of Germans. I was very pleased to hear that Minister Westerwelle plans to make cultural relations and education policy a priority, indeed one of Germany's "calling cards" around the world. I find it very relevant to note in this context that Minister Westerwelle is a 1987 alumni of the State Department's International Visitor Program. Under the strong leadership of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, education and cultural relations are also US Department of State priorities worldwide. It is certainly something that we attach great importance to at our Embassy here in Berlin and our five Consulates around the country. We have been doing a series of town hall meetings with German students around the country and one of the ways to start the discussion is to talk about heroes and role models.

Minister Westerwelle, I know that a personal role model for you is one of your predecessors, Hans-Dietrich Genscher. Minister Genscher recently spoke in Prague at a commemoration of the events that took place at the West German Embassy in September 1989. He urged Europeans "never to forget that the happiest hour in Europe, the year of a great fight for freedom in 1989, is not just a year of remembrance but also an obligation for further deeds." That message is important for us all.

As President Obama says, "America cannot meet this century's challenges alone; the world cannot meet them without America."

Shared responsibilities are now the foundation of a strong German-American partnership. With Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle at the helm, we look forward, now on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, to many more years in which the United States and Germany work together to expand the boundaries of freedom.