Sister Cities News

Farewell to a Friend

On June 21, 2005 the German-American Dialog Center Magdeburg hosted a farewell reception for U.S. Consul General Fletcher M. Burton at the theater magdeburg.

Mr. Burton, who has held this post for the states of Saxony, Saxony -Anhalt and Thuringia since October 2002, is rotating his post in accordance with State Department rules and will be leaving Germany this summer. His next post in his diplomatic career will be in Afghanistan where he will again demonstrate his ability to successfully and skillfully master particularly challenging situations.

Fletcher M. Burton was and is an indisputable expert on Germany. In the U.S. Foreign Service, Mr. Burton has spent many years working on German-American affairs. Mr. Burton started his diplomatic career in 1987 as an intern in the U.S. Mission in West Berlin. From 1991 to 1992 he served as the staff aide to Ambassador Vernon Walters and Ambassador Robert Kimmitt in the U.S. Embassy in Bonn. From 1992 to 1993 he served as a Political Officer in the embassy and from 1997 to2001he was the Chief of the External Affairs Unit in the U.S. Embassy in Bonn and Berlin. He studied German politics as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Bonn from1985 to 1986. He received his Masters in International Affairs from Princeton University in 1988.

Mr. Burton has spent part of his diplomatic career in the Balkans where he served as Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Office in Pristina, Kosovo from 2001 to 2002 and as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia from 1995 to 1996.

Fletcher M. Burton was born in Cookeville, Tennessee 1956 and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, where he resides in the U.S. He speaks fluent German.

As U.S. Consul General in Germany, Mr. Burton has always displayed deep commitment to strongly supporting not only the German-American Dialog Center but also the Sister Cities relationship between Magdeburg and his hometown Nashville, Tennessee.

The Sister Cities relationship would never have been able to develop so quickly and successfully without his great personal solidarity. Mr. Burton has been instrumental in its ongoing success. He has become a good friend and our close ally, giving German-American friendship and the Sister Cities relationship between Magdeburg and Nashville shape and depth.

In view of his outstanding contribution to the Sister Cities relationship, the German-American Dialog Center’s feels a heartfelt desire to confer honorary membership on Mr. Fletcher M. Burton on the evening of his leave-taking from Magdeburg.

We thank our good friend and supporter Fletcher M. Burton for the wonderful work together and the great shared memories of many interesting events. Naturally we also wish him all the best, much success and many interesting challenges in the future.

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