Welcome
Advocating a strong transatlantic partnership and friendship: Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock’s first official visit to Washington, DC
Annalena Baerbock and Antony Blinken, © Thomas Imo/photothek.net
Annalena Baerbock departs on her first visit to the United States as Foreign Minister on 5 January 2022. The spotlight is on coordination of current foreign and security policy issues, with a meeting in the US Capitol.
Current issues on the agenda
The transatlantic partnership and friendship with the US is, alongside European integration, a cornerstone for Germany’s actions on the international stage. One of Foreign Minister Baerbock’s first trips abroad thus takes her to Washington.
The more difficult the times we live in, the more important strong partnerships are – and we as Europeans have no stronger partner than the United States. That is precisely what I want to demonstrate by traveling to Washington – to show the high priority we attach to transatlantic relations.
– Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
Her talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken will cover the situation on the Ukrainian border, the pending dialogue with Russia in bilateral and multilateral formats, the JCPoA negotiations with Iran and our close cooperation within NATO. Foreign Minister Baerbock also seeks good transatlantic coordination on China policy.
Bringing people on both sides of the Atlantic even closer together
Foreign Minister Baerbock would like to widen the range of subjects discussed in the transatlantic context and intensify cooperation in these areas, from the worldwide protection of human rights to global health policy, trade and connectivity, and from international standards to disarmament and arms control. We also want to forge yet closer links between federal states, municipalities, research institutions, universities, companies and culture professionals on both sides of the Atlantic, thereby taking the entire breadth of the US and all its people into account. The first official visit to Washington is a good starting point in this endeavour.
Contacts with the US Congress: Democracy and human rights as shared values
While in Washington, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will also meet with members of the US Congress. Her talks with them will focus on the US and Germany’s global efforts to strengthen democracies. A meeting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, is planned.
One day before the first anniversary of the storming of the Capitol, I travel to Washington not only as Foreign Minister but also as a staunch democrat and parliamentarian. In the EU and the G7 we are united by the goal to strengthen democracies and make them more resilient to withstand threats from both within and without.
– Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock