German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier recently made an official visit to Boston, his second visit to the United States since becoming president. During his time in Massachusetts, he attended several events promoting German-American friendship, included the grand re-opening of the new location of Goethe-Institut Boston. At the re-opening celebration, Steinmeier welcomed guests to the new space and spoke of the importance of institutions like the Goethe-Institut for promoting transatlantic cooperation and democratic ideals.

His remarks focused on the continued need to build bridges between the United States and Germany and the positive impact that transatlantic cooperation has had on Germany and the US over the past century.

2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which ushered in peace, democracy, and a united Germany. Remembering the leadership role of the US at that time, Steinmeier asserted that “There can be no democracy without America. Looking back, this most certainly holds true for German history. However, I believe it also holds true for the future.” Thanking the United States for its previous support for German democracy, he called on this strong partnership to recognize its strong historical connection and continue into the future.

“I firmly believe that we need each other if democracy and freedom are to have a future in this world of rivalry and conflicts and if the West is to remain more than merely a point on the compass,” he declared. “We need the transatlantic partnership for this.”

Steinmeier pointed to the potential for organizations like the Goethe Institute Boston to keep the work of Wunderbar Together alive, even as the Year of German-American Friendship comes to a close this year. The Institute “provides a forum for people to meet, learn, and forge personal connections,” a service that is vital for the strong ties in culture, academia, and civil society that strengthen democracy in both the US and Germany.

Find out more about the work that the Goethe Institute Boston does to promote German-American cultural dialogue here!