BERLIN – The American Academy in Berlin has awarded the 2023 Henry A. Kissinger Prize to Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), for outstanding contributions to the transatlantic relationship. The award ceremony took place on the evening of Friday, November 10, 2023, at the Deutsche Telekom’s Berlin Representative Office. Laudations were delivered by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Speaker Emerita of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. The 2023 Henry A. Kissinger Prize ceremony was generously underwritten with lead and presenting sponsorship from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Mercedes-Benz Group AG; supporting sponsorship was provided by Bank of America, Bayer AG, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice LLC, and Microsoft Corporation. Additional funding was provided by Deutsche Bank AG, Fresenius SE & Co KGaA, and Robert Bosch GmbH.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “Jens Stoltenberg has been at the helm of NATO in times of monumental challenge-and he lived up to it. He has made our Alliance fit for the monumental changes of our time. He has made NATO fit for the future. We are here to celebrate, to honor Jens Stoltenberg for the vision of freedom and democracy for our nations, of security and partnership within our alliance, of peace and stability in the world around us.”
Nancy Pelosi said: “His mastery in unifying us springs from his deep understanding and respect for each of the 31 NATO allies. Their stories, their histories, their heritage, their purposes and their perspectives, and their challenges. This has been no small feat. … When history books are written, this will be the central story of our time-the epic battle between democracy and autocracy. Indeed, the foundations of our freedom that we hold dear-the dignity of the individual, the sovereignty of each state, the institutions of self-government, the rule of law-are under siege from appetites and ambitions of the grasping few. I say that with knowledge. And in this battle, the Secretary General’s leadership has prevailed.”
Jens Stoltenberg said: “A strong NATO is more important than ever. I do not know what the next crisis will be. But I do know that we are safer when we face it together. Our nations are committed to protect and defend each other, ‘one for all, all for one.’ There is no greater solidarity. Our Alliance is the cornerstone of our security; it is an anchor of stability; and a pillar of peace in the world.”
Sandra Peterson, chair of the American Academy in Berlin: “Jens Stoltenberg has devoted his life to the institutions and ideals that safeguard our freedom. And that is why the American Academy is awarding him with the Henry A. Kissinger Prize.”
Daniel Benjamin, president of the American Academy in Berlin: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a galvanizing impact on the West, which has risen to confront the threat of an expansionist autocracy. But it has only been successful in this effort because of the tireless and far-sighted efforts of an array of leaders in national capitals together with Secretary-General Stoltenberg. … He has shown a rare selflessness and sense of duty in prolonging his service at the request of the member states into a ninth year.”
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