Dec 20, 2016
The partnership between the United States and Germany has a long history and is rooted in their common understanding and commitment to NATO and to a Europe that is whole and free.
This relationship is going strong today, said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on a recent trip to Germany. "Over these past years in recessions, in conflict, through the memorable airlift, through the construction and destruction ultimately of an ugly wall, our alliance has withstood the test of time. And it has provided indispensable benefits to both of our countries."
Chancellor Merkel recently said Germany's friendship with the U.S. is a cornerstone of German foreign policy, adding that with no country outside Europe does Germany have a deeper link than with the United States.
"The fact is that anywhere you look in the world today," said Secretary Kerry, "you will see our two countries front and center in dealing with the issues of global significance." The U.S. and Germany are standing shoulder to shoulder in the fight against ISIL. Already the global coalition against ISIL has recovered 55 percent of the territory the terrorist group took in Iraq. "We're moving on Mosul. We've liberated Tikrit and Ramadi and Fallujah, and we are moving on al-Raqqa," said Secretary Kerry, and we are working in concert with allies around the world to close off the numbers of recruits that can travel down from 1,000 a month" to now a trickle.
The U.S. is steadfast in supporting the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine and is grateful for Germany's and France's leadership in the effort to bring peace to Ukraine by implementing the Minsk agreements. As we approach the holiday season, it is all the more important that we work to reestablish a durable and effective ceasefire, ensure the residents of Donbas receive the humanitarian assistance they so desperately need, and implement confidence-building measures such as disengagement and prisoner exchanges.
The U.S. and Germany have worked together to address the refugee crisis in Europe, political and security challenges in Libya, and war in Yemen. In Syria, both countries continue to work to end the catastrophic, senseless, war.
Over the course of nearly seven decades, the alliance of Germany, the United States, NATO, and Europe has helped to move the European continent towards greater peace, security, and freedom. And it will continue to do so in the years ahead.