Congratulations for Obama on Nobel Peace Prize
In Washington, Germany’s representative in the United States, Ambassador Klaus Scharioth, welcomed the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 to US President Barack Obama. Ambassador Scharioth said he had long been impressed by President Obama’s ability to inspire people in the US and beyond to seek a better, more just future. “I have been equally impressed by your strong commitment to dialogue and reason as the basis for policy and politics, both domestically and internationally,” Ambassador Scharioth said. “May this ability and commitment continue to help you meet the many challenges we face together – such as fighting climate change and preventing nuclear proliferation.”
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- US President Obama shakes hands with Chancellor Merkel after a joint press conference in Dresden in June 2009.
- (© picture-alliance/ dpa-Report)
In Germany, the announcement of President Obama’s selection on October 9 was greeted with enthusiasm by the public. Germany’s highest representatives sent congratulations to the US President.
Federal President Horst Köhler said he was glad that President Obama's commitment to peaceful cooperation between states and people had earned this deserved recognition. Obama’s name is associated with a new, cooperative world politics that confront global challenges with fairness and partnership, Köhler said in a letter of congratulation. President Obama can always count on Germany, Köhler said in encouraging him in his efforts for a better more peaceful, better future.
In congratulating President Obama, Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “with your personality and your political convictions you have struck a tone that gives many people on every continent hope and confidence for a good and fair coexistence.” The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize is an expression of esteem for Obama’s policies which emphasize dialogue and embody respect. “Today is an important day for you, for all Americans, and also for the values from which strong democracies draw their strength.”
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the Nobel committee’s decision an important signal. “I am convinced that his courageous policy of reaching out to others is the right path to break through hardened fronts in many conflicts and to promote peaceful cooperation among nations,” Steinmeier said, placing special emphasis on Obama’s vision for a world free of nuclear weapons.
In announcing their decision on October 9, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said that as president, Obama has created a new climate in international politics. “Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play,” the committee said in a press release. “His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.”
