Angela Merkel declared that it was a "great honour” for her to have the opportunity to speak in front of both houses of Congress. The Chancellor met briefly with President Obama for talks at the White House before giving her address on Capitol Hill.
Time to say "Thank you”
Angela Merkel took the opportunity during her speech to look back to the day the Berlin Wall crumbled, on 9 November 1989, and to thank the USA on behalf of all of Germany. American support was instrumental in ensuring German reunification.
Reflecting and acting together
Looking forward, Angela Merkel went on to the topic of globalisation, which she deemed a huge opportunity for the world. She advocated seeking common solutions and reflecting multilaterally.
America and Europe have not always been of the same opinion, she pointed out, but their fundamental common values unite Europeans and Americans. There is no better partner for Europe than America, she declared, and then added, and no better partner for America than Europe.
Today’s walls
In her speech Angela Merkel called on her audience to pull down today’s walls. We must, she declared, create peace and security, ensure prosperity and justice and halt climate change. Although the Cold War is now over, there are still walls to be pulled down. Tolerance is particularly important in this regard.
Sanctions if necessary
In this context, Angela Merkel addressed Iran. Iran, she declared, must not be allowed to threaten Israel. She said, "The security of Israel will never be negotiable for me. This is in any case not only a threat to Israel but to the entire free world.” This is why the free world must counter the threat, with sanctions if necessary.
President Obama praises the German mission
The Chancellor also touched on the Afghanistan mission in her speech to Congress. She had discussed future strategy with President Obama prior to her address.
The President praised Germany’s contribution to establishing peace and security in Afghanistan. Germany has, he said, done much to enable Afghanistan to take on greater responsibility for its own security.
Since 2002 the Federal Republic of Germany has been providing the third largest contingent of troops. It puts its faith in the concept of networked security. The security of the world must never again come under threat from Afghanistan, declared the Chancellor. "Civilian and military commitment are indivisibly linked,” she continued, explaining the concept.
Global order
Chancellor Angela Merkel also looked at the global financial crisis. Economic policy must be more sustainable in order to achieve the goal of prosperity and justice, she said. The global economy needs a global regulatory framework so that there is no repetition of a crisis of this sort.
Halting climate change
The Chancellor sees another major challenge for the 21st century in the need for urgent action to protect the natural resource base and our global climate. She is happy that President Obama accords great importance to climate protection, she told Congress, and added that agreement must be reached at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. Global warming must not be allowed to exceed two degrees Celsius, she stipulated.
The Chancellor is well aware that this will be impossible without the commitment of China and India. She is, however, convinced that if Europe and America are willing to accept binding commitments, China and India can be convinced to follow suit.
Major honour for Germany
The speech that Angela Merkel held in front of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the US Congress was a huge honour, not only for her personally, but for the entire Federal Republic of Germany. The Chancellor hopes that this has helped bring Germany and America even closer. After the event, she said it had been "an extremely moving morning”.
