Speech of the Consul General on 3.10.2011

Enlarge image Dr. Ingo Karsten during his address (© Goethe Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore) Your Excellency, Governor of Karnataka, Dr. Hans Raj Bhardwaj,

Distinguished representatives of the Government of Karnataka,

Mr. Bertrams, Director Max Mueller Bhavan,

Mr. Srivastava, Vice President Merck Limited,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today, we Germans remember with joy and gratitude our national unity, which we regained on 3 October 1990.  We feel very honoured, Excellency, that you are celebrating the Day of German Unity with us.

21 years ago, the courageous and determined citizens of the German Democratic Republic and other states in Central and Eastern Europe peacefully knocked down the repressive regimes and the wall which divided not only our country, but the whole continent and the world.  Far-sighted politicians, particularly Mikhail Gorbachev, George Bush and Helmut Kohl helped to canalize the process of peaceful revolution.  We are also very grateful that India had fully supported German unity.

When the citizens of the German Democratic Republic and other states in Central and Eastern Europe realized that ultimately, the might of the few is no match for the desire of the many for freedom, they were very much inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.  His great ideas are valid today and tomorrow as they were in the past, wherever in the world the universal desire for freedom, democracy and human rights is taking hold.

This is the reason why in fact this day unites all of us.  Both Germany and India stand for the same values of freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and rule of law. 

Germany and Europe overcame their division.  This success imposes on us the obligation to resolutely tackle the challenges of an increasingly multipolar world.  These include ensuring respect for human rights, but also issues relating to international security, development and the environment.  Serious but manageable debt crises will not be allowed to endanger the European Union with more than 500 million citizens.  Europe is and will remain the guarantor of peace, freedom and prosperity, together with strategic partners like India.

This year, we celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations between Germany and India.  As the German Consul General in Bangalore, I would like to thank our Indian friends particularly in Karnataka and Kerala for their overwhelming hospitality, their great support and their openness to cooperation for mutual benefit.  Important challenges on the global as well as on smaller scales require common efforts.  With a new fully fledged Consulate General we are looking forward to be of better service to all of you and to help intensifying Indo-German contacts in political, economic, scientific and cultural areas. 

Today’s concert on the Day of German Unityis an absolute highlight within the programme series of “Germany and India: Infinite Opportunities” under the auspices of the German Federal President in cooperation with the Goethe Institute, German business and the German Foreign Office.

I would like to thank Merck Limited for their most generous and exclusive sponsoring of tonight’s event. 

I wish you all a pleasant and enjoyable evening with one of the best German orchestras, the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck.