Steinmeier to the British: standing together for Europe’s values
During his three-day state visit, the German president addressed the British Parliament and expressed his gratitude for post-war reconciliation.
London (dpa) – Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has urged the United Kingdom to join Germany in defending Europe’s shared values and achievements. “We must stand together for what defines us,” he told MPs in a passionate address to Parliament in London. “We stand firm when our values are threatened. We defend democracy. We defend freedom. We stand together – as allies, as partners, as friends.”
Steinmeier acknowledged that Brexit – Britain’s departure from the European Union in January 2020 – had changed relations between the two countries and ushered in a difficult period. “But we chose not to let this hold us back,” he said, referring to the Kensington Agreement signed in July between Berlin and London, which aims to put cooperation on a new footing.
Memorial in Coventry
Steinmeier thanked the British people for their reconciliation after 1945. Britain and Germany were now close allies, he said. “After the terrible devastation that Germans inflicted on the continent in two world wars, that is not something to be taken for granted, but a gift.”
On the final day of his state visit, Steinmeier is travelling to Coventry, a city severely bombed by the Luftwaffe in the Second World War. Thousands were killed or injured in the attacks.
