Commemorating the victims of the war and the dictatorship. Iohannis’s message
“Borders, ethnicities, cultures fade when we stop to remember the sacrifice of those who sacrificed themselves in the past for our freedom, rights and dignity”, said, on Sunday, the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, in the Bundestag, on the Day of Commemoration of the Victims of the War and of the dictatorship.
President Klaus Iohannis delivered, on Sunday, at the Bundestag headquarters, a speech during the ceremony organized on the occasion of the Day of Commemoration of the victims of the war and the dictatorship.
“I am particularly honored to stand before you here in the Bundestag, in the heart of German democracy, on this solemn day, the National Memorial Day (Volkstrauertag). Today we honor together the memory of the victims of wars, tyranny and violence from all nations. But it is also an opportunity to reflect on the present challenges and threats, perhaps the most worrying ones since the Second World War. Borders, ethnicities, cultures fade when we stop to remember the sacrifice of those who sacrificed themselves in the past for our freedom, rights and dignity. We realize, once again, how much we have in common as Europeans and how much we can build together, in a free and democratic Europe. We must always keep in mind that forgetting the past leads to the repetition of history’s mistakes or the perpetuation of injustice. This forgetting represents an ever-greater danger, as the generations that directly experienced the horrors of war or totalitarian regimes are no longer among us,” said Iohannis.
He stated that for this reason he admires the care with which the German state understands to lean on the proper knowledge of history, especially by the younger generations.
“And in Romania we make serious efforts so that young people learn in schools about the mistakes of the past and are aware of them, so as not to repeat them. And, speaking of young people, I consider it emblematic that the Commemorative Day, November 17, coincides this year with International Students’ Day. This year we also commemorate 80 years since the D-Day landings in Normandy and 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, turning points for the European continent. In 1987, the workers’ revolt broke out in Braşov, the first mass action against the Ceausist dictatorship, which, although bloodily suppressed in just a few days, undoubtedly represented one of the catalysts of the Romanian Revolution of December 1989. Through the courage of the Romanian citizens who came out then to protest against the dictator Ceausescu and the communist regime and through the sacrifice of many of them, who paid for this courage with their own life, the oppressive regime in Romania was removed”, Iohannis said.
Iohannis said, in the Bundestag, that Romania has been free for 35 years: “A freedom won with great suffering, but also with a lot of hope.”
“The fall of the Berlin Wall also represented for Romanians an encouragement in the fight for freedom and democracy, and for Romania, the removal of the Iron Curtain made it possible to return to the great family of European democracies. Not only the intellectual elite, but the entire Romanian nation, as a whole, has always naturally oriented itself towards Western values, represented today by the European Union and NATO. After centuries of conflicts, the European Union, the great peace project after the Second World War, was founded out of the desire for reconciliation between European nations. Our democratic values and economic model have become a source of inspiration for neighbors and international partners alike. We note, however, that our European project has also aroused another type of reaction, among some non-democratic states. Some totalitarian regimes’ fear of the attractiveness of European values made our Union perceived as a threat. Detractors of the European Union are the enemies of democracy and freedom”, said Klaus Iohannis.
Unfortunately – the president states – the mechanisms of propaganda and disinformation are spreading again today, because dictatorial regimes are based on the fact that “a lie told often enough becomes the truth”.
“We see this revolting reality in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. We stand by the Ukrainian people, who courageously and heroically opposed the invasion dictated by the Kremlin, defying the force and brutality of Russian imperialism. The support of our states and the international community is vital to finally ensure a just and lasting peace, in full agreement with the UN Charter and international law. Romania warned early on the risk for Europe’s security represented by the aggressiveness of dictatorial regimes, such as the Russian one. These risks are also an important reason why we advocate for strengthening the resilience of the Republic of Moldova, the state most affected by this war, after Ukraine. We also remain firmly engaged with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova on the path of joining the European Union. It is up to all of us to actively maintain this process of accession to the European Union, because it has proven to be a truly transformative process, from which we all benefit, old and new member states”, said Iohannis.
In order to face today’s threats, Iohannis says that a stronger and more solidary European Union is needed, adapted to the challenges of the future.
“I am convinced that we will continue to benefit from Germany’s strong involvement in managing the current challenges and in the effort to revitalize trust and attachment to the European peace project. I assure you that Germany will continue to find in Romania a partner deeply dedicated to European values, ready to work with you to strengthen the European Union and for these values of freedom and democracy to be protected and accepted, both in the neighborhood and at global level. I am happy to highlight today, here in the Bundestag, that the friendship between Romania and Germany has never been closer and stronger than now. Diplomatic relations between our countries were established in 1880 and put on a new, modern and European basis, through the bilateral Friendship Treaty of 1992. Since then, we have had an upward dynamic, reflected in a dialogue based on trust and shared values. The relations between our countries are at a historical maximum, on a political, economic, cultural, and, above all, interpersonal level. It is eloquent, in this sense, the establishment in Romania, starting from the spring of this year, of April 21 as “Romanian-German Friendship Day”. I would like to remind here that Romania has always been a place of confluences of different cultures that coexisted and coexisted. The interaction between Romanians and Germans has ancient roots, from the colonization of the Transylvanian Saxons, over 850 years ago, and the Banat Swabians, 300 years ago,” the president said.
The President of Romania stated that today Romania is the place where ethnic Germans, like all other national ethnic minorities, are encouraged and supported to preserve their identity, including by assuming an active role in Romanian society.
“Citizens from our countries build, in Germany and Romania, day by day, bridges of dialogue and friendship. Just as the Germans from Romania contributed to the construction of modern Romania, so the Romanians from Germany, a community that reached almost a million people, contribute to the well-being of Germany today. United Europe, with open borders, allowed this essential development for the relationship between our countries. On this day with such strong meanings, I join you in paying tribute to the memory of the victims of wars, of totalitarianism, as well as those persecuted for their faith, for the search for justice and freedom. Preserving this memory is a duty and “a form of justice” – to evoke here the famous motto of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and Resistance, created in the premises of the former communist prison in Sighet, where most of Romania’s elites perished. I trust that we will succeed in instilling in future generations this duty of memory and justice. It is the only way in which we can ensure the building of a better future, without repeating the mistakes of the past”, said Klaus Iohannis.
Source: www.mediafax.ro
