On Wednesday 11 May 2016, the recently-arrived US Ambassador to Luxembourg, David McKean host a Welcome Reception at his residence in Luxembourg city.
Ambassador David McKean and his wife Kathleen Kaye had invited members of the Government of Luxembourg, of the Chamber of Deputies, the Council of State, the European Institutions, the Diplomatic Corps and representatives of the business and arts communities in the Grand Duchy.
In his welcome address, Amb McKean stated he was "energised by the opportunity to work and live in such a lovely country as Luxembourg" and referred to having been affiliated with Secretary of State John Kerry. He recalled that Luxembourg was the first country he ever visited, as a teenager, in the 1970s.
He told the invited guests that he and his wife are from a small town outside Boston, Massachusetts, and joked "I’ve discovered that Boston actually has something in common with Luxembourg - something very important: between October and May you don’t want to leave home without either a rain jacket or a snow shovel!"
He talked about the overwhelmingly positive bi-lateral relationship that currently exists between the United States and Luxembourg, but acknowledged that Europe is facing a number of critical challenges: turmoil in the Middle East, the threat of terrorism, the refugee crisis, environmental issues, and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, condeding that these are difficult issues.
He also mentioned that his wife Kathleen is an educator and is already working with Syrian refugees at the Luxembourg Red Cross. They have three grown-up children, Shaw, Christian and Kaye, who are working and studying in the US. On history, he stated "Both Kathleen and I are very interested in the history of World War II and we are looking forward to visiting Luxembourg’s museums and memorials." He added "We also enjoy outdoor activities. We have already visited a castle in the valley of the seven castles, hiked along the Moselle River, and last week we bought bicycles from Luxembourg’s resident Tour de France winner and ambassador to the world, Andy Schleck."
