The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, has offered his condolences to the relatives of Guido Westerwelle in light of the former Foreign Minister of Germany's death on Friday 18 March 2016.

Guido Westerwelle, who was the first openly gay leader of a German party (FDP), has passed away from acute leukaemia at the age of 54. He served as Foreign Minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel's second cabinet and held the position of Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011.

In response to the news of Mr. Westerwelle's passing, Minister Asselborn stated:

"I met Guido Westerwelle in his capacity as Foreign Minister of Germany between 2009 and 2013, we were very close on a human level and have kept in regular contact since his departure from the Federal Foreign Office. I remember him as a convinced European, who was always able to show solidarity with the small states of Europe and with Luxembourg in particular. This was demonstrated in the creation of the 'reflection group on the future of Europe' that he initiated in 2011, aiming primarily to deepen European integration and enhance the external action of the EU, and which is highly relevant in the current European context. I am deeply saddened by the news of his premature death; it is a loss not only for Germany but for Europe as a whole".

Current Foreign Minister of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, described Westerwelle as "a true patriot in his commitment to  Germany + Europe". 

 

Photo by European Union (Guido Westerwelle with former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton)