ON OCTOBER 3, 1990 the GDR formally acceded to the Federal Republic of Germany, thus re-establishing the unity of Germany after more than four decades.
Since then October 3 has become the national day of Germany. It should be mentioned that the unification of Germany took place with the consent of the four victorious powers of the Second World War: the United States, the Soviet Union, France and the United Kingdom, who signed the Two Plus Four Treaty in Moscow, on September 12, 1990.
The Treaty re-established Germany’s full sovereignty over the whole country, proclaimed Germany’s borders as final and excluded any claim to former German territories. As a result the territorial rights of the Allies ended on October 3. With the transfer of the capital from Bonn to Berlin in 1999, the dream of every German to again see Berlin as the capital of the united Germany has become reality.
The reunification of Germany was the result of various factors. The Fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, was not accidental. It was due to a series of actions and circumstances which led to the collapse of communism in the countries of Eastern Europe.
As such are mentioned the US policy towards the communist bloc, the stand of the Vatican and in particular the work of the Polish Pope John Paul II, the “Ost-politik” of Willi Brandt, the activities of “Solidarity” and Lech Walesa in Poland and finally the “Perestroika” of Gorbachev.
We believe that it was “Perestroika” which changed the route of history and released the forces which overthrew the communist regimes in Eastern Europe. In this respect, Gorbachev’s statement that “We need democracy like the air we breathe” certainly boosted civil rights activists in Eastern Europe.
Of help were also all the other factors mentioned above – and in particular the determination of the peoples of Europe to achieve their freedom and unity. In this respect, the contribution of the then European Economic Community and the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe was of great value. They gradually created, along with the other factors, the climate which gave impetus to the forces of change.
The process of change started the first months of 1989 in Poland and Hungary. It continued in the GDR (November 9), Bulgaria (November 10), Czechoslovakia (November 17) and finally Romania (December 25).
It was only natural that 1989 was described as “annus mirabilis”. In 1990, it was the turn of Albania and Yugoslavia and in 1992 that of the Baltic countries, Ukraine and South Caucasus.
It should be mentioned here that by coincidence the date November 9 has a special place in German history. On that “fateful day” in 1918, the first German Republic was declared in Berlin. Twenty years later, on November 9, 1938 the Nazis began the persecution of the Jews in Germany. Finally, on November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall came down, marking the “happiest moment” in German history.
The historical importance of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification which ensued was described by the German President, Richard Von Weizsacker as follows: “The day has come on which for the first time in history the whole of Germany takes a permanent place among Western democracies.”
This year Germany commemorates another anniversary as well – that of the promulgation 60 years ago of the Basic Law of May 23, 1949, on the basis of which the Federal Republic of Germany was founded.
The fall, however, of the Berlin Wall has a special place in German history. It has become the symbol of the end of the division – not only of Germany but also that of Europe into east and west, heralding at the same time the end of the Cold War.
In actual fact, the opening of the Brandenburg Gate closed the German problem, i.e. the division of the country. Today Germany, having buried its Nazi past, is a European democratic country, full of energy and resourcefulness, looking to the future with optimism.
The need for peace and security as well as prosperity and democracy felt by the German people has led to the country’s integration into multilateral co-operation, a field in which all the fundamentals of German foreign policy found their place, i.e. transatlantic partnership,
European integration, good neighbourly relations – primarily with France and reconciliation with old enemies. Committed to respect the others, to implement principles and values and behaving democratically, Germany is setting a good example to the world.
For the divided island of Cyprus, with its divided capital, the question of reunification, commemorated by Germany again this year for the twentieth time, remains a matter very close to the heart. It is a just European and universal demand. It augurs well for Cyprus that Germany, having suffered the division of its own country, is genuinely interested and actively involved in the promotion of the reunification of our divided island.
n Dr Andrestinos N. Papadopoulos is a former ambassador for the Republic of Cyprus
