Consul General Powell's Remarks at the Opening of Stuttgart’s  Second American Days
Weißer Saal, Neues Schloss Stuttgart
6 May 2009

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be here tonight at the opening of Stuttgart’s second American Days at your beautiful Neues Schloss.  The American Embassy in Berlin and the Consulate General in Frankfurt are proud to be a part of your exciting program again and hope that this will soon become a tradition.

The election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States has revitalized the German-American relationship.  There are at least four programs offered during the American Days that discuss the first 100 days of the new American president.    I am really curious about the outcome of these discussions, and how German audiences assess our new policies.  President Obama has certainly faced a multitude of challenges in his first 100 days in office.

As you all know, the President recently visited Europe and came to Germany for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the NATO Alliance in Baden-Baden, Kehl and Strasbourg.   I am very happy to count myself among the fortunate ones who were able to see the president in person. 

Only three months after taking office, President Obama brought a message of hope and of change to Europe, much as did  former Secretary of State James F. Byrnes in his landmark „Speech of Hope“ here in Stuttgart in 1946.   But in addition to speaking with the Chancellor and other heads of government, President Obama also addressed French and German youth at a town hall meeting in Strasbourg shortly before the NATO summit.  There, he outlined his most important foreign policy principles: creating a world without nuclear weapons, solving the economic crisis, saving the environment, investing in renewable energy, stabilizing the Middle East, fighting global poverty, ensuring free and fair trade and renewing American diplomatic relationships.  He spoke of a new partnership in which America listens and learns from our friends and allies.  President Obama also emphasized that he needed to also to hear from participants  “because that's ultimately how we can learn about each other."  

Almost one thousand German students and other citizens from Baden-Württemberg were able to attend this historic event, thanks to the excellent cooperation from the German American Institutes in Baden Wuerttemberg, including the James- F.-Byrnes Institute here in Stuttgart.    

The basis for international cooperation and mutual understanding are personal encounters and exchanges between the people of different nationalities, cultures or religions.  Whether the exchange is between a President and a student, or two regular people, we all benefit from such interchanges and understanding of each others cultures. 

 That is why programs like your American Days that engage people of different backgrounds in common political, cultural or athletic activities are so important for our relationship! 

I would like to thank the government of the state of Baden-Württemberg, the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Kulturamt Stuttgart for their continuing support of the American Days. And my special thanks go – of course – to the Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum / James-F.-Byrnes-Institute  which, in addition to its regular program, has again organized and coordinated this year's American Days.

I wish you all the best of luck and great fun for the upcoming events! Thank you!