Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Federal Chancellor Merkel to deliver speech on foreign policy

Festive Anniversary Commemoration on occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Bergedorf Round Table

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Bergedorf Round Table, Körber Foundation will welcome an expected 400 invited guests from politics, government, science and society on Friday, September 9th 2011 at 2 p.m. at the Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt.

In acknowledgment of Körber Foundation’s contributions to foster greater international understanding through dialogues, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel will deliver a foreign policy speech during this important occasion.

The Chancellor’s keynote speech will be preceded by a discussion which will review the history of the Bergedorf Round Table since its foundation in 1961. The discussants will include the chairman of the Bergedorf Round Table, Richard von Weizsäcker, former President of the Federal Republic of Germany, former Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, the former foreign policy advisor to Helmut Kohl, Horst Teltschik, and the publicist and political scientist Alfred Grosser. The talk will be moderated by Peter Frey, Editor-in-Chief of ZDF German Television.

Federal President Wulff to open
the 149th Bergedorf Round Table

At the invitation of Federal President Christian Wulff, the 149th Bergedorf Round Table on “Europe and Asia: Partners in a New Global Order?” will take place at Schloss Bellevue on September 10th, with 40 invited leading politicians and experts. The Federal President will officiate at the opening of the round table. Other speakers include Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of Singapore, Wang Jiarui, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chairman of the SPD Parliamentary Group.

“Let us not talk about each other, but with each other. With this philosophy the Bergedorf Round Table has made a name for itself over five decades as a place where discussions on problems of international affairs can be conducted in a frank, confidential and exclusive setting,” says Klaus Wehmeier, the Körber Foundation Executive Board member responsible for International Affairs.

Since 1961, more than 2000 high-level politicians and experts have participated in, to date, 148 Bergedorf Round Tables in Germany and abroad. During the Cold War, the Bergedorf Round Table made a significant contribution to bridge the understanding between East and West. Chaired by Richard von Weizsäcker, new and critical topics have been raised and discussed at these Round Tables. Today, one of the key focuses is on the dialogue with the Islamic world and the rising powers in Asia, primarily China.

The event will be broadcast via live video stream.

Further details will be available on September 9th
here.

Contact:
Körber Foundation
Kirsten Elvers
Kehrwieder 12
20457 Hamburg
Phone +49 · 40 · 80 81 92 - 177
Mobile +49 160 · 741 96 95
Fax +49 · 40 · 80 81 92 - 304
E-Mail elvers[ at ]koerber-stiftung.de
www.koerber-stiftung.de