Dear Readers,

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius visited Washington for his first official visit last week, meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon. The two leaders discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the need to support Ukraine against Russia's aggression. Austin praised Germany for its contributions to Ukraine's defense and expressed the desire to further strengthen the bilateral defense relationship and collaborate on issues such as the Indo-Pacific region.

Meanwhile, June 26 marked the 75th anniversary of the start of the legendary Berlin Airlift of the Western Allied Forces that helped more than two million West Berliners survive the 11-month Soviet blockade in the wake of the Cold War. The airlift took place from June 1948 until September 1949, for a total delivery of more than 1.5 million tons of supplies and a total cost of over $224 million. American and British forces coordinated the unprecedented action, delivering food, fuel and supplies to the city by air. The operation fostered a deep sense of gratitude and solidarity between the German and American people, strengthening the German-American friendship for decades to come.

And after five years at the German Embassy in Washington, Ambassador Emily Haber’s term came to an end last week. Her successor, Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, will arrive in August. In the meantime, today’s newsletter features a number of videos and interviews of Ambassador Haber in the last few weeks of her time with us. We will miss her!

Yours,

The "Germany for Americans" team

After serving at the German Embassy in Washington for five years, Ambassador Emily Haber departed last week. As part of her farewell, we compiled a number of photos, videos and interviews with her.

Ambassador Haber visits the Jefferson Memorial and thanks her followers for their interest, engagement and feedback over the past few years.

Watch on Twitter

Ambassador Haber participates in a Q&A, answering questions from followers about a variety of topics, from foreign policy to culture to her fondest memories of her time in DC.

Watch on Twitter

Ambassador Haber participated in a 'silent interview' in which she answered a mix of serious and fun questions without words through expressions. We hope this gives you a unique perspective into the world of a diplomat, and a chance to see a lighter side of our hard-working departing Ambassador.

See on Facebook

Instagram Q&A: Ambassador Haber answers 11 personal questions in less than 60 seconds.

Watch on Instagram

Ambassador Haber sits down with DW Washington bureau chief Ines Pohl to discuss her time in the US, the transatlantic relationship and the war in Ukraine.

Watch on Deutsche Welle

Germany needs friends and allies in Europe and around the world

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Jewish Campus in Berlin for a “living future”

The Pears Jewish Campus (PJC) opens in the German capital - the largest Jewish institution for education, culture and sport to open in Germany since the Shoah.

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The countries of the Global South will not be left to fend for themselves

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More than half of electricity consumption from renewable energies

In the first six months of this year, the share of renewable energies from wind and sun in Germany’s electricity consumption increased to 52 percent.

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New funding for electric vehicle charging network

Private households and small businesses get support for e-mobility.

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Scholz underlines joint responsibility at finance summit

At a summit on the global financial system, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized joint responsibility in the fight against climate change.

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„Sing Loud! Sing Proud!”: the German Embassy jointly celebrated Pride Month with the Mexican Embassy at an event in June. Our embassies’ collaboration mirrors our countries’ current co-chairing of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), an intergovernmental body of 42 Member States dedicated to the protection of the rights of LGBTI persons around the world. We were honored to celebrate with DC’s LGBTQ+ community, long at the forefront of advancing civil rights at the local, national, and international levels. Our embassies’ celebration featured Berlin-based vocalist Erik Leuthäuser & jazz pianist Julia Kadel. Among the outstanding young vocal talents in Germany, Erik Leuthäuser’s current songs explore "the topic of addiction from a queer perspective".

Over 300,000 spectators attended the World Games in Berlin

The Special Olympics World Games in Berlin inspired people for a week and raised the profile of the issue of inclusion.

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