The German-American relationship has been running rather slowly over the past few months. But during his visit to Berlin on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo emphasizes the friendship between the USA and Germany.
He called on Germany and its western allies to defend freedom again and again. "We have to recognize that freedom is never guaranteed," he said.
There are already new authoritarian structures. "The specter is attacking again," said Pompeo. "It is up to us to defend our freedom and our future, when we stand together in unity, we stand together as allies, as friends."
"God protect our friendship"
The US had known that an unfree system like the GDR would have to collapse at some point. But one could not estimate the time. Pompeo praised the "courage of the East Germans to bring down the wall".
The US Secretary of State conceded misjudgements in the subsequent period. It was thought that free societies would flourish everywhere. It was therefore thought that one could deduct armed forces. "We were wrong," said Pompeo, referring among other things to the conflict in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea by Russia.
Pompeo combines a personal history with Germany, in the eighties he was stationed as a US soldier in West Berlin. "God bless this great land and our close mutual friendship," he said. In the afternoon, Pompeo will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on Thursday he was traveling with Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.