The comments came during American Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg’s 23rd annual Thanksgiving Dinner on Friday. Guests enjoyed dinner, music, dancing, a tombola and speeches by the DP prime minister Xavier Bettel and US ambassador Randolph Evans.

“This evening is about saying thank you--just as the name suggests,” Marc Feider told Delano at the event. “I am thankful to be here, proud to be here, to be in an open environment with a diverse international community. We have so much to give to each other and we learn from each other. It’s a give and take and it’s cross-fertilisation. There is so much to it.”

“This is the second year I have come to the Amcham Thanksgiving Dinner,” said Andrea Nini. “It is a great event. It has a lot of opportunities to network and meet new people, new friends and new business opportunities. Also I am a big fan of Amcham. It was a great dinner and I am very happy to be here.

Transatlantic ties

Bettel gave a heartfelt speech and was awarded the 2018 Amcham Leadership and Prosperity Award with the support of Swarovski.

“I came back from Paris where we celebrated the [end of the] first world war,” Bettel stated in his remarks. “Not far away from here in Hamm, we have thousands of Americans buried. They fought for my liberties, they fought for my country. We were partners, we are partners. And we need to stay partners. I strongly believe that the economy ties and relations are essential to stability, prosperity and also security of both regions. This has always been our common objective.”

Bettel continued: “I thank Amcham for their relations and helping shape policies. This will guarantee that Luxembourg will not only remain on the forefront of key sectors in which it already excels such as fintech or biotechnology today, but we will also be ready for the next challenges, such as into space. I can assure you that the next government will continue to develop the already strong momentum of the Luxembourg framework which makes it a unique place in the Eurozone and the world.”

“I know that you all are the official ambassadors of Luxembourg. You are by being here in our country, by sharing your experiences, by appreciating the time you spend, by being a part of this success story, which is helping. Because a lot of people forget that Luxembourg was not always a rich country. My country was a poor country. We were always aiming to be ready for the next big challenge. And Luxembourg was a fortress, we decided to take away the walls and to be open.”

“And if today over 70 percent of the population in the city are not Luxembourgers and 50 percent of our population in the country are not Luxembourgers, they are part of our success story. And I am very proud during the last elections we were able to not have the same situation as we have in Germany and in France and so many different countries where people try to make differences the weakness of their society,” the PM said.

Different experiences

“I know that being different, having a different culture, different traditions, different languages, different histories makes us stronger. Knowing that by changing, if someone has differences, you will get a new experience and you will get richer through that experience. So thank you to all of you for being a part of these differences, of this success story called Luxembourg. We are always able to move forward and continue the success story,” Bettel said in his speech.

“I am here to celebrate Thanksgiving and to give thanks for being in a wonderful country like Luxembourg,” Vicki Hansen told Delano during the event. “As an Iowan from the heart of the USA, it’s with my heart that I have the pleasure to be in Luxembourg, the heart of Europe. And one of the unexpected pleasures here has been the networking.”

“I have been in Luxembourg for only two months and I find this country incredible in terms of different types of people that are here,” said Shyam Sanker. “Amcham has been an amazing organisation and I have met some very great people and I am here to have some great food, nice wine, meet some interesting people and to have a good time in this country. And I love it so far.”