future relations

The one good thing about yesterday was the short, official public statement, Mrs. Merkel gave about the US elections and future relations. I’ll try and give as good a translation as I’m capable of:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I congratulate the winner of the Presidential election in the United States of America, Donald Trump, to his victory.

The Unites States of America are an old and dignified democracy. The campaign this year was a special one, with -in parts- hard to bear confrontation. Thus I have – likely much the same as most of you – awaited the outcome of the election with special suspense.

Whom the Amercian people elect their President in free and fair elections has significance far beyond the USA. True for us Germans is: with no nation outwith the European Union do we share a deeper connection than with the United States of America. Whoever governs this big country with its enormous economical force, its military potential, its cultural moulding power,  carries responsibility that is perceived almost everywhere in the world. The Americans have decided, that over the next four years Donald Trump should bear this responsibilty.

Germany and America are conjoined by values: democracy, freedom, the respect for the law and human dignity, independent of provenience, colour of skin, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political attitude. Based on these values, I offer the future President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, a close cooperation.

Partnership with the USA was and will remain a cornerstone of German foreign policy in order to tackle the great challenges of our time: the pursuit of economical and social welfare, the strive for an anticipatory climate policy, the fight against terrorism, poverty, hunger and illness, the employment for peace and freedom, in Germany, in Europe and in the world.

I thank you.”

Now, that were 2.5 minutes of appropriate response. I liked it a lot. You can watch the speech here (starting at 2:59 into the report).