Speeches

Speech by H.E. Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of the Republic of Lithuania, at the Kaiser Otto Prize Award Ceremony in Magdeburg

Madam Chancellor,
Mr. Mayor,
Mr. Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt,
Esteemed Members of the Emperor Otto Culture Foundation,
Distinguished Guests,

I am delighted and honored to have the opportunity today to attend the award ceremony of the Kaiser Otto Prize, established in honor of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great, in the beautiful Magdeburg Cathedral.

The prize is presented to outstanding persons who have contributed the most to the development of European unity and common European memory. I am therefore very pleased that the Emperor Otto Culture Foundation has decided to award its fourth prize to the German Chancellor, Angela Dorothea Merkel - one of the staunchest supporters of unified Europe.

The fact that this prize is awarded in Germany is highly important and symbolic. Germany is the connecting link between Central, Eastern and Nordic European regions and the driving force behind European unification.

After World War II, it was decided that peace and prosperity were possible only in a united Europe where all nations, small or large, would work for a common cause. It was a historic decision that changed the political map of the continent, brought peace to its people, paved the way for the reunification of Germany, eroded the Soviet totalitarian system, and opened the door to many nations for their legitimate return to the European family.

Distinguished Guests,

The United Europe project cannot be realized without close cooperation of all countries.

I would like to express my delight at the open and ever more intensive dialogue between Lithuania and Germany. And since Germany has recently taken over the Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, I would also like to underscore our firm support for its commitment to further strengthen cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region.

Our bilateral relations have a long and rich history. Today I would like to take the opportunity to highlight the important contribution of the educated and enlightened people in East Prussia (whose northeastern part is called Lithuania Minor by Lithuanians) to my country and the development of its national identity: Kristijonas Donelaitis, Martynas Mažvydas, Liudvikas Rėza, and others. Beginning with the 16th century, their work and efforts laid the foundations for the Lithuanian written language and literature. It was in East Prussia that Lithuanian books were published when they were banned in Lithuania occupied by the Tsarist Russia.

In the second half of the 19th century, they were smuggled to Lithuania by the book-carriers whose dedication and self-sacrifice preserved the Lithuanian language and identity and played a part, later on, in the restoration of Lithuanian statehood in 1918.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Most of the key events in history are pegged to symbols. United Europe firstly relates to the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Reunification of Germany.

We will never forget November 9, 1989, when the wall, which separated East and West Germany, was removed. The emotions that overwhelmed the German people and other nations, still living behind dividing barriers, are vivid and alive.

We will always hold in our memory the midnight of October 3, 1990, when hundreds of thousands of Germans gathered in front of the Reichstag, Brandenburg Gate and elsewhere, singing the German national anthem, to celebrate the fall of the Iron Curtain and German reunification after long decades of division. It was an unforgettable and highly exciting moment which rectified historical injustice and offered new hope and inspiration to all of Europe and the world.

It was a message that gave self-confidence and enhanced the struggle of Lithuanians for freedom. After declaring the reestablishment of independence on March 11, 1990, we had to defend it by standing unarmed against the Soviet tanks on January 13, 1991.

Lithuania will never forget its heroes and Europe will never forget those who gave their life for the freedom of their people and other nations.

Distinguished Audience,

Among the eminent people who stood at the origins of European unity were Konrad Adenauer, Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, Paul-Henri Spaaak. Their vision continues to be pursued by great successors like Richard von Weizsäcker, Helmut Kohl and Angela Merkel.

Europe is very lucky to have such a dedicated, creative and responsible leader. We meet with the Chancellor at the European Council summits. She plays a very active role in working out the final documents. Most of us focus on specific aspects, while the German Chancellor makes everything her concern. Many of us arrive with mandates based on today's national interest. It is Chancellor Merkel who takes on the unrewarding task of persuading all summit members to look at a longer perspective and to find agreement on the political guidelines in the interest of all Europe.

I can honestly say that the future of not only Germany, but also of Europe as a whole rests on her shoulders.

Therefore, as I reaffirm Lithuania's strong support and that, I am certain, of other countries in the region, for Chancellor Merkel's leadership and her country's commitment, I wish her success and resolve, and may this prize give her new strength.

It is determination that we need the most to make difficult but necessary decisions today when the United Europe faces serious economic and financial challenges.

Madam Chancellor, Esteemed Founders of the Prize, Distinguished Guests!

Your work and efforts in building a united, efficient, competitive, and globally respected Europe, where the big and the small would prosper, will be remembered and included in the book of history as an honorable page which has made Europe and each of us stronger.

Thank you for your attention.