Saturday, 9 November 2019, Berlin, Germany: A commemoration ceremony was held on Bernauer Strasse on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In addition to German Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel, President –pro tempore– of the Federal Council of States, and Premier of Brandenburg Dietmar Woidke, the Speaker of the Bundestag Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble and Berlin’s Governing Mayor Michael Müller, the ceremony was also attended by the presidents of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputová,Poland, Andrzej Duda the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman and Hungary, Dr. János Ader, the ambassadors of the latter countries, other members of the diplomatic corps,contemporary witnesses and pupils. During the commemoration, Steinmeier, Merkel and the foreign state guests laid roses in the Hinterland wall for the victims of the Wall.
Candles were lit to commemorate the courage of the GDR opposition in the autumn of 1989. Students from various countries shared their thoughts on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in their mother tongue.
Chancellor Merkel gave a speech during the central commemoration ceremony in the chapel of the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse. At the ceremony she warned against hatred and racism. Freedom and democracy must also be defended in the future.
In attendance were the US Ambassador Richard A. Grenell, French Ambassador Anne-Marie Descôtes, Magyar Ambassador, Dr. Péter Györkös, Slovak Ambassador Dr. Peter Lizák, Polish Ambassador, Prof. Dr. Andrzej Przyłębski, Czech Ambassador, Tomáš Podivínský, Slovenian Deputy Chief of Mission, Aleš Marčič, Italian Deputy Head of Mission, Alessandro Gaudiano, amongst others.
For further information
German Federal Presidency: http://www.bundespraesident.de/SharedDocs/Berichte/EN/Frank-Walter-Steinmeier/2019/191109-Berlin-November9.html
Presidency of Hungary: https://www.keh.hu/speeches&pnr=1
Presidency of Poland: https://www.president.pl/en/news/art,1126,president-attends-fall-of-berlin-wall-anniversary-events.html
Presidency of Czechia: https://www.hrad.cz/en
Presidency of Slovakia: https://www.prezident.sk/article/berlinsky-mur-padol-a-je-dolezite-aby-padali-aj-mury-nedovery-v-nas/
Presidency of Slovenia: http://www.up-rs.si/up-rs/uprs.nsf/objave/27C6DAD30CA0DC3FC12584AC0047F419?OpenDocument
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Images by Embassy of Slovenia to Germany
