This summer, the United States will celebrate 250 years of independence. That reminds me how strongly we are bound by the idea of freedom and self-determination. Germany owes a great deal to this long democratic tradition upheld by the US and to its efforts for peace and security. Never before has it been so important to invest in the transatlantic partnership, so that – in the face of global upheaval – we can remain capable of shaping the world order.

We are challenged by concurrent crises and wars, above all Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which threatens our security across the entire Euro-Atlantic area. An effective response to existential questions is only possible when we work together within our Alliance. We are therefore liaising closely within NATO and together ensuring greater security – on both sides of the Atlantic. And last summer, we committed to collectively meeting the 5-percent goal within NATO. Germany is taking resolute action to progress towards this goal.

Of course, even close partners can have differing points of view from time to time. But these should not lead us to lose sight of the bigger picture. Where there are differing positions, we want to address these differences through dialogue, in order to do justice to our shared responsibility for peace and security. It is with this conviction that I will speak to my US counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington. Our responsibility includes in particular security in the North Atlantic, which not only gives NATO its name but is of such strategic importance for our shared security.

With security in the Arctic becoming increasingly important, too, I also want to discuss during my trip how we can best shoulder this responsibility together within NATO, in light of old and new rivalries in the region due to Russia and China. We want to discuss this together within NATO. In doing so, we must ensure that the legitimate interests of all NATO members as well as those of the region’s inhabitants are at the forefront of our considerations. This naturally also applies to Greenland and its people. I will discuss the particular strategic challenges in the High North with my Icelandic counterpart Thorgerdur Gunnarsdóttir during my visit to Reykjavík today.

For more than eight decades, the rules-based international order has brought us peace, stability and prosperity. This holds especially true for the US and Germany. The key to this is dependability. Because dependability is the foundation for security, for trade and for investment – in Europe as in America. For Germany, dependability as an international partner thus very clearly includes a commitment to international law and international cooperation. Following my talks in Washington, I will therefore meet the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres in New York.