This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has honored the events three decades ago that brought down the Berlin Wall, calling it a “scar on the face of Europe.”
“Through gun towers and guard dogs, it tried to keep people in, and ideas out. But it failed,” Stoltenberg said on November 6 outside NATO headquarters in Brussels where a piece of the Berlin Wall was erected.
“Freedom, democracy, and human dignity, the same values that unite us today, inspired ordinary people 30 years ago to achieve something extraordinary,” the NATO chief said.
German NATO ambassador Hans-Dieter Lucas called the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 “one of those defining moments in history which changed the world.”
Later on November 6, Stoltenberg is due in the German capital for a three-day visit that will include meetings with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Angela Merkel, and other officials.
He is also due to attend commemorations marking the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall’s fall and receive a medal from the German Defense Ministry for his contributions to NATO.
