Merkel offers thanks to the U.S. for freedom

Speaking to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, Chancellor Merkel underscored the close political partnership between Germany and the U.S.

Angela Merkel, who herself grew up in communist East Germany and was a professor of physics, offered unequivocal praise for the role American administrations played in the long fight to bring democracy and freedom not only to divided Germany but to Eastern Europe as a whole.

Citing the historic iconography of the Cold War era, Merkel thanked the pivotal role played by the allied Berlin Airlift in 1948-49, the long-term American security and the political commitments made; “I think of John F. Kennedy who won the hearts of despairing Berliners during his 1961 visit after the construction of the Berlin Wall when he called out to them “Ich bin ein Berliner....Ronald Reagan, far earlier than others saw and recognized the sign of the times when, standing before the Brandenburg Gate in 1987, he demanded, 'Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.' This appeal is something that will never be forgotten.”

She equally thanked George Herbert Walker Bush “for placing his trust in Germany” during the countdown to unification.

“To sum it up in one sentence,” Merkel stated, “We Germans know, how much we owe you, our American friends. We as a nation, and I personally, will never forget that.”

Several standing ovations greeted Merkel's remarks.

Angela Merkel, whose conservative coalition was recently reelected in national elections, was only the second German Chancellor to address the U.S. Congress, the first was the legendary Konrad Adenauer in 1957 who spoke during the darkest hours of the Cold War.

Her Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) and the free market-oriented Free Democrats (FDP) form the new government in Berlin.

Addressing Transatlantic relations, Merkel admitted that while America and Europe have had their share of disagreements, “I am deeply convinced that there is no better partner for Europe than America and no better partner for America than Europe.”

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