German FM pays tribute to country's reunification on 30th anniversary of Prague balcony speech

Record ID: 1434390

  • Title: German FM pays tribute to country's reunification on 30th anniversary of Prague balcony speech
  • Date: 30th September 2019
  • Summary: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (SEPTEMBER 30, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER HEIKO MAAS AND CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER TOMAS PETRICEK ENTERING ROOM MAAS AND PETRICEK SITTING AT TABLE, STANDING UP AND SHAKING HANDS AND HOLDING SIGNED COOPERATION AGREEMENT CAMERA OPERATOR FILMING NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS, MASS TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, HEIKO MAAS, SAYING: "(I am here because) on that day thirty years ago (this) was where perhaps, aside from November 9, the most magical moment of German reunification took place, that is the speech by Hans-Dietrich Genscher (then West German foreign minister) on the balcony of the German embassy in which he could tell the GDR refugees that their departure (to West Germany) was immediately before them. I think there is no one in Germany who was not very touched by that." WOMAN CHECKING PHONE DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, HEIKO MAAS, SAYING: "And as things then developed in the direction of freedom in the truest sense of the word, the solidarity and the bravery of many Praguers, who shared the same desire for freedom, was decisive. And, dear Tomas (Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek) we Germans will not forget this." PETRICEK LOOKING AT MAAS MASS AND PETRICEK SHAKING HANDS, EXITING ROOM EXTERIOR OF GERMAN EMBASSY ENTRANCE GATE TO EMBASSY MAAS, FORMER GERMAN CHANCELLERY MINISTER RUDOLF SEITERS AND DELEGATES STANDING ON BALCONY WHERE GENSCHER DELIVERED SPEECH 30 YEARS BEFORE, POSING FOR PHOTO MAAS ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE AUDIENCE TAKING PHOTOS ON PHONES (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, HEIKO MAAS, SAYING: "When they bade their home farewell, they thought it was forever. And they did not know if they would arrive where they wanted to go. They only knew that there was no going back, and they did this to live in freedom. Ladies and gentlemen, for me the legacy of this Prague autumn in 1989 is this - it is worthwhile to risk something for freedom and justice and democracy, because nothing about this is self-evident. And this realisation is today in times of populist seducers and nationalist ideologies just as valuable as it was then." AUDIENCE APPLAUDING MAAS AND DELEGATES POSING FOR PHOTO ON BALCONY PLAQUE ON BALCONY VIEW OF EMBASSY GROUNDS AND FENCE FROM BALCONY
  • Embargoed: 14th October 2019 19:41
  • Keywords: German reunification anniversary Berlin Wall Prague East German refugees West Germany East Germany Heiko Maas Hans-Dietrich Genscher
  • Location: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC AND GIESSEN, THEN WEST GERMANY
  • City: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC AND GIESSEN, THEN WEST GERMANY
  • Country: Czech Republic
  • Topics: Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001AYUN589
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday (September 30) paid tribute the 'magical moment' of German reunification on the 30th anniversary of East German refugees being told they could return to West Germany from Prague.
    He also said the legacy of events in 1989 showed that it was worth risking something for freedom, justice and democracy, and that this lesson was still relevant in 2019.
    In August and September 1989, large numbers of East Germans scaled the fence of the West German embassy in Prague, and camped out on the grounds. Between 20 and 50 people arrived every day, and soon more than 1,000 were gathered there.
    Then, on the evening of September 30, the then-West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher went to the balcony and told the East German refugees that they would be allowed to travel to the West. By this time, around 4000 people were on the embassy grounds.
    On the first of October 1989 the first refugees travelled in chartered trains from Prague and Warsaw across East German territory into West Germany.
    By the end of the summer of 1989 the movement of refugees into West Germany could no longer be stopped and then it was only a matter of days until the Berlin Wall finally fell.
    (Production: Jiri Skacel, Louisa Naks)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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