Consular Heads,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Please allow me to welcome you to our Hamburg City Hall. For many years, it has been our tradition for the Mayor, or the Burgomaster, to meet with the new Consular Heads soon after they have embarked on their new mission in Hamburg.
I am very pleased to be part of the Consular Corps cycle of activities again after only six weeks. As you might know, we recently spent an interesting afternoon together at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea at Nienstedten.
Even though it is only a few weeks until your annual New Year reception, this is not the right date or the right moment for a review of the years events. After all, we dont even really know how this year, 2011, will be seen in retrospect on a global level and from the point of view of the countries you represent.
On the other hand, having returned from a most impressive, if short, trip to China and Japan, all I can say is: It is truly a privilege to be able to watch, and to be part of, the many changes the world will be undergoing in the coming years and decades.
In a metropolis like Shanghai, with a population of 23 million, looking up toward where the rooftops must be, one cannot help but be fascinated by the immense changes people are able to make if they have the dedication and the vision to do so. And the optimism we all need to meet the challenges we face.
Some regions of the world are in the midst of challenging processes of change, that in some cases go as far as dramatic political upheaval. Others have been devastated by horrendous natural disasters. We follow all of this with compassion. In still another way, the European Union and its common currency have been going through tough times. At the end of the day, as we have recently experienced, turbulence in the global financial system can impact all of the regions and all of the countries in the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It has been said that time flies like an arrow. Fortunately, being the new Consular Heads, all of you will be serving your respective countries in Hamburg for a fairly long period of time. Hopefully, this will give you enough time to do a good job, to quote a phrase used so often in English-speaking countries.
And, additionally, to enjoy working and living in Hamburg which, hopefully, you will see as a privilege in itself.
Thank you for committing yourselves to Hamburgs international affairs. And the very best of luck.