Readout of the Chief of Staff’s Meetings in Berlin, Germany

In follow up to the telephone conversation between President Obama and Chancellor Merkel, the respective Chiefs of Staff, Denis McDonough (US) and Peter Altmaier (Germany), accompanied by Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, and Günter Heiss, Head of Directorate-General 6 (Federal Intelligence Service, Coordination of Federal Intelligence Services), Federal Chancellery, met on Tuesday in Berlin for intensive talks on the state of bilateral relations and future cooperation.

The full range of issues was addressed, including intelligence and security matters.

Mr. McDonough and Mr. Altmaier agreed to set up a Structured Dialogue to address concerns of both sides and establish guiding principles as the basis for continued and future cooperation. The Structured Dialogue will be overseen by the Chiefs of Staff.