I am with the reunification of East and West Germany

Author: (Russian) M. S. Gorbachev / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This is not just empty talk. We already had some resolutions that were quite commendable in terms of our interests, passed at the meeting of the heads of state and government of the European Community in Dublin and the NATO Council in London. During my meeting with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou in Moscow on July 26, I mentioned incidentally: "If it weren’t for the very serious signals sent by the European Community from Dublin and then by NATO from London, we would have found it very difficult to reach a series of such agreements with Kohl. Without the interconnection of all these events, it would have been hard for us to adopt a new stance. I’m not saying we agree with everything said there. But the main thing is that we have begun to move forward." My attention to all these issues is not incidental, nor is it accidental. They are directly related to the vital interests of German reunification and the future of the Soviet Union. It must be remembered that this is a commitment and overture made to a strong nation, a country that, even for its own interests, must be taken seriously and is respected as a partner (not an opponent) in world affairs. At that time, we had every right to expect that the world order, if it began to develop positively, would greatly help us in the arduous task of completely transforming our society, avoiding the losses and disasters that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the post-Soviet space. However, let’s take a look at how the process of German reunification ended after the Arheziev talks. On September 12, the "24" negotiations concluded in Moscow. The foreign ministers of the United States, the Soviet Union, France, the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the German Democratic Republic signed the Treaty on the Comprehensive Adjustment of Relations with Germany. From this moment on, Germany was freed from all obligations and restrictions imposed by the victorious powers in 1945. The reunified Germany became a member of the international family with full and equal rights. After the signing of the treaties under the "24" framework, I met with Lothar Messe in the Kremlin and then with Hans-Dietrich Genscher. It can be said that I initiated this process with Genscher. He was very excited: "Since we began meeting four years ago in the summer of 1986, a lot of time has passed. Today, my lifelong dream has come true. I want to say from the bottom of my heart that the German people know and will never forget that the unification of Germany owes its success first and foremost to your personal contribution. Your courage and vision played a decisive role. Everyone knows that all of this happened thanks to the policies you have pursued in recent years. Don’t think we don’t understand how difficult it was for you to do this. Your trust in the Germans will never be betrayed. The Soviet people will never be disappointed. The times have changed, and we remember the lessons of history. We only focus on peaceful coexistence and mutual cooperation. The equation of the Soviet Union with a reunified Germany is far more promising than the equation of the Soviet Union with two separate Germany." I must point out that Genscher himself played a tremendous role in the peaceful reunification of Germany and in harmonious coexistence with the European family. To this day, the press and German society often raise the question—Who was the protagonist of German reunification? During the Soviet period, a rather cynical joke was popular in our country. It is well known that when Lenin participated in the Saturday volunteer labor in 1919, he helped by resting his shoulder on a log being lifted by four workers. Decades later, more and more people claimed to have lifted the log alongside Lenin. As a result, if all those who claimed this honor were to be believed, the log would have to be at least two kilometers long. Real historical events often follow a similar pattern. On October 3, 1997, which is Germany’s Day of Reunification, a celebration was held in Stuttgart. The mayor delivered the keynote speech, and by the way, he said the following: "Most people think that we achieved reunification thanks to President Bush and the United States. No! It was thanks to us!" He was referring to us. Bush was also present and did not object. Those days, I was in Leipzig and addressed a large audience, saying, "The protagonists of reunification should be the people of the Soviet Union and Germany!" If we look at the essence of the matter and set aside the arrogance that harms such events, that is precisely the truth. P116-117