Germany hails ties on 250th birthday of US - but hints at concern

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has emphasized the close bond between Germany and the United States on the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, in a congratulatory letter to President Donald Trump. 

"The history we share with the United States means a great deal to us Germans,"said the letter, published a day ahead of the July 4 anniversary.

"It carries responsibility. It forges our unity within the NATO Alliance, which defends more than just our security - it defends the 250-year promise of liberty, justice, and self-determination."

These ideals had shaped world history and had influenced Germany and its relationship with the US in a particularly profound way, Steinmeier wrote.

Germans had helped build the US republic in the 19th century. Conversely, Germany's path to democracy in the 20th century would have been unthinkable without the US, he said.

Steinmeier recalled that Europe had been liberated from the Nazi yoke with the help of US troops. The US had then given West Germany a new chance at freedom and prosperity. With wide-ranging US support, the rule of law, the economic miracle and a vibrant democratic culture had all taken root in the Federal Republic, he said.

The German president also pointed to former US president Ronald Reagan's call to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, during a visit to West Berlin in 1987, to tear down the wall between the two German states.

"Both the rebirth in freedom and Germany's reunification would have been inconceivable without the United States," Steinmeier wrote.

'Noble ideals'

Without referring specifically to current US policy, Steinmeier reminded Trump of the enduring relevance of the ideals of the Declaration of Independence for the present day.

"A gap will always persist between noble ideals and the realities of political life - in every democracy," he wrote, adding: "What matters is the course we set. For many people in our two countries, this 250th anniversary is an opportunity to ask: are we taking the correct course? The answer is never the voice of a single individual, but that of the people - who are free and equal."