Enlarge image Dr. Peter Ammon (© Press and Information Office of the Federal Government) Dear German-Americans and Friends of the German-American Societies,

It is a great honor and pleasure for me to convey my best wishes to you on German-American Day, observed here in the United States of America every year since 1987. On October 6, only three days after the Day of German Unity, we honor the contribution of German immigrants and their descendants to the history of this great country.

Our shared history reaches back more than four centuries to the year 1607, when a German botanist accompanied the first settlers in Jamestown. From the very start, Germans have played an important role in the shaping of this country in politics, economy and culture. Germans and German-Americans have helped to make America what it is today.

At the same time, German-American Day reminds us of the deep friendship that unites and enriches both our countries on all levels. On the basis of this friendship as well as of our shared values and ideas, we continue to act together as strategic partners in a world that presents us with new challenges and new opportunities every day.

I am deeply impressed by the work of the German-American societies and how they maintain the close ties between our two countries. Your activities demonstrate the great extent to which Germany and America are firmly connected with each other. As members and friends, you pass on this bond to the next generations. I encourage you to continue doing so. Each personal exchange, each study visit, and each form of economic or cultural co-operation are additional elements in the vast network of bilateral relations, upon which our friendship is founded.

Thank you for your commitment in this common endeavor to think transatlantic.

I wish you all a pleasant German-American Day! (© Germany.info)