For the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, NATO membership was the first step to integration in the Euro-Atlantic family. And further European integration was made possible under the umbrella of security provided by NATO. The reunification of Germany and Europe would have been impossible without the United States’ security guarantee. The bond between Europe and North America made it possible to reintegrate Germany into the European and international community, to end the Cold War without a shot being fired, and to create the conditions for European integration. And no barrier is too great.Īnd that is what makes the trans-Atlantic bond so important. That is what makes the trans-Atlantic bond so important. And in the 2 million people, forming a human chain from Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn.Īnd that is what made these events so remarkable. In the peaceful protests on the streets of Dresden, Leipzig, and Prague. In the pan-European picnic, on the Austrian-Hungarian border. In the shipyards of Gdansk, the birthplace of Solidarność. But as we know, the walls had already started to tumble. A rallying cry for champions of freedom and oppressed people everywhere. The images of hundreds of people tearing down that wall became iconic. This truly felt like a new beginning-that his generation, unlike my father’s, my grandfather’s, and mine, may grow up in a world without barriers, and without the constant threat of war. Holding my son, who was just a few months old, in my arms. Like so many others, I was glued to my television set. It was this same desire for reconciliation that helped to reunite friends and loved ones, East and West, after 40 years of the Cold War.įor my generation, the fall of the Berlin Wall was a defining moment. So, in 2000, when I became prime minister of Norway, I made my Antrittsbesuch to Germany, reflecting that we admire and that we regard ourselves as close friends of this country.
And I am proud to continue this family tradition. And he became a great admirer of Germany. My father served in the Norwegian Brigade in 1950 in Schleswig-Holstein.
My grandfather was a prisoner of war who became a friend of Germany. This story of reconciliation is reflected in so many families, including my own. And eventually paving the way for Chancellor Kohl to reunite Germany and deepen European integration. From Chancellor Adenauer’s Westbindung to Chancellor Brandt’s Ostpolitik. Germany has for decades been firmly anchored in our trans-Atlantic alliance, which has created the framework for this country’s security policy at every critical juncture. It is a political alliance, an unprecedented promise to preserve peace, prevent conflict, and uphold our values. Not to repeat the mistakes of the past, but committing to build a unique area of peace and prosperity, together.īecause NATO has always been much more than a military alliance. A remarkable gesture of trust, so soon after the end of the Second World War-offering a former adversary a stake in our shared security. In 1955, NATO extended this pledge to West Germany. Our trans-Atlantic alliance was created in 1949 as a “shield against aggression,” founded on our solemn pledge to protect and defend each other. And Germany’s history shows the importance of a strong bond between Europe and North America. Germany understands better than most of the other countries in our part of the world the value of freedom and democracy. So, therefore, it is even more important to remember the bravery of countless men and women, in East Germany and across Central and Eastern Europe, who stood up against oppression and fear. A continent frozen in the depths of a Cold War. … Standing in the vibrant city of Berlin today, it is hard to imagine how different the world looked just a generation ago.Ī city divided. The transcript of Stoltenberg’s remarks is below. European unity cannot replace trans-Atlantic unity.” 7, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg shot back, declaring before an audience in Germany that “any attempt to distance Europe from North America will not only weaken the trans-Atlantic alliance, it is also risking dividing Europe itself. He called, instead, for more pan-European unity. In an interview with the Economist out this week, French President Emmanuel Macron had a stark warning about the future of trans-Atlantic cooperation: “What we are currently experiencing,” he told the magazine, “is the brain death of NATO,” thanks to the United States’ waning commitment to the organization.
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