US ambassador to Luxembourg Thomas M Barrett looks back on his time in The Grand Duchy with fondness. In his goodbye interview with RTL, he shares what he will miss most about Luxembourg City, the strong ties between both countries, and his life back in Wisconsin.
Barrett is a democrat and was the mayor of Milwaukee for 17 years from 2004 to 2021, a city the size of Luxembourg.
The ambassador reminisces about his time in Luxembourg: “I will always remember the day the White House contacted me and asked me if I wanted to be an ambassador in Luxembourg. So I wanted to find out as much information about Luxembourg as quickly as I could, so I went to see what the population of Luxembourg was like. I saw that it was a little over 600.000 people live in Luxembourg. During that time, I was living in Milwaukee, a town of approximately 600,000 inhabitants. That’s when I thought: well, I can do this.
“I’ve worked in government and I’ve worked with people, so I felt confident coming in”, says the ambassador, who came to Luxembourg in February of 2022. Embassies act as mechanisms for one government to talk to another government, which is “not always done through TV cameras or tweets, but people to people.”
The relationship between the United States and Luxembourg is strong, and it will remain strong in the future, confidently assesses Barrett. Nevertheless, how things will continue with the new president is difficult to foresee.
“What I can say with confidence is that the relations between Luxembourg and the United States will remain a strong one. My gut tells me that our shared history, our economic links, as well as our common values, will keep us connected. I am optimistic about our future relation.”
As an ambassador, he cannot give any statements in favour of a particular political party. However, on his desk he displays photos taken with Presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. In response to that, Barrett remarks with a smile: “The only thing missing is a picture of me and Donald Trump.”
The incoming president has demanded NATO countries increase their military spending to 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP).
Barrett noted: “The relationship between Luxembourg and NATO was a priority for me. This is to ensure that we can secure the situation in Ukraine, but also security and peace in Europe in the long term. We must maintain the strong relationship and strong support for NATO.”
“We just in the last month signed a civil space agreement between the United States government and Luxembourg,” says the ambassador, citing years of work. “I heard a phrase that I thought was very, very appropriate, that Luxembourg has a small footprint on Earth, but it has a large footprint in space. And it really is a leader in space, as is the United States. And so that’s an area where we’ve worked and spent a considerable amount of energy as well.”
Read also: Luxembourg’s role in shaping the future of space exploration
The memorial events surrounding the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge were very intense in recent weeks, the ambassador notes, and saw high-ranking representatives pay a visit to Luxembourg, even if it turned out to be a less fortunate experience for former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The Grand Duchy will definitely remain in the ambassador’s memory, who even shared his favourite place in the city: “I really like walking in the countryside. There’s the bridge where you can see the city and the fortress in the background. That’s the place where I tell people, we’ll take your wedding photo here. This place really shows the beauty of Luxembourg.”
The food in Luxembourg is good, and the traditional Luxembourgish dishes have more of a German touch rather than a French one, says the ambassador, further arguing that Luxembourg is rich in flavour. Plus, it is mostly healthy food, which the ambassador says has been very good to him and he needs to continue including in his diet back in the United States.
From the mayor of Milwaukee to the US ambassador to Luxembourg. Quite the journey indeed!
On 19 January, the ambassador returns to his old home. So, what are his future plans? “In the last 33 years of my marriage, my wife has been a wonderful partner. She has done pretty much everything I wanted to do. Now I’d like to give something back. She has a list of 7,000 things she would like to do with me in the United States!”
During the Christmas period, the ambassador’s entire family stayed in the residency of the US Embassy. His children were always happy to visit Luxembourg, he says. In fact, in the last three years, 46 members of Barrett’s family have welcomed the opportunity to visit Luxembourg.
And so, after their stay in Luxembourg, the couple returns to Wisconsin...to the area strongly influenced by Luxembourgers and home to the Luxembourg American Museum.
Read also: US Ambassador discusses 2024 presidential election in RTL Today interview
