News from Berlin

68th United States Secretary of State John Kerry is in Berlin on a Two Day Visit to Germany Ahead of the 25th Anniversary of the Fall of the Wall Later in the Year

October 22nd, 2014
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News from Berlin – 68th United States Secretary of State John Kerry is in Berlin on a two day visit to Germany ahead of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the wall later in the year.

Kerry arrived late on Tuesday October 21st and met with his German counterpart Foreign Minister Frank – Walter Steinmeier at Villa Borsig before heading on a working dinner and a meeting. The two talked about Iraq and Syria, and how to fight against Islamic State militants in those two countries. Kerry expressed his opinion that everyone could do more to tackle these foreign fighters. Also on the agenda was the conflict in eastern Ukraine as well as the Ebola virus and nuclear talks with Iran.

Today, on October 22nd the two held a joint news conference in Berlin. Kerry spoke about ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and dismissed suggestions that there may be attempts to cut out the Congress on this particular matter. “I personally believe, as does the president, that the Congress has an extremely important role to play and the Congress will play a role in this,” he stated. He also stated that freedoms are still being “threatened” in many parts of the world, including Europe, while expressing a hope that Russia will understand how seriously the world is ready to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Kerry and Steinmeier also visited a memorial at the Berlin Wall that fell on November the 9th, 1989. Kerry laid a wreath at the memorial and will later today participate in an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Both parties also expressed their gratitude for the close partnership between The United States and Germany and hopes to stay like this in the future as today the United States is regarded one of Germany’s closest allies and partners outside of the European Union. After the conference and the commemoration event, Kerry is to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

News from Berlin – Berlin Global