Address by Jacques Chirac in Caen
President of the French Republic
60th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings – Official Speeches
Speech delivered on Sunday, June 6, 2004, at the Franco-German ceremony at the Caen Memorial.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Landing Soldiers,
Mr. Federal Chancellor,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Sixty years have passed, but neither you nor we have forgotten anything about those hours when the fate of Europe and the world was decided. You are here today. You represent Germany and the German people. This is a moment of profound emotion.
The Normandy landings were a bloody confrontation between thousands of combatants, Allied soldiers and German soldiers. But June 6, 1944, above all, marked the renewal of freedom and democracy on a European continent oppressed under the yoke of Nazi ideology and its murderous madness.
Today, with respect for history and the suffering experienced, it is first and foremost a time for remembrance and reflection. But it is also a time for the present we have chosen to build together. For the future we wish to look forward to together. This future of peace and understanding, which our predecessors had the brilliant intuition for and which they forged through vision, courage, and willpower.
The European idea, and the projects that embody it, were in fact born right here. With the announced end of the Third Reich. With the restoration of freedom and democracy. Above all, with the unanimous feeling that these fratricidal wars that inflamed the world were the negation of Europe, its values, and its culture. That so much suffering and destruction could not have been endured in vain. That we owe it to our dead to give meaning to their sacrifice, by resolutely committing ourselves to the only path that would ensure peace in Europe: that of reconciliation between our two countries, between our two great peoples. That of democracy. This imperative was the guiding principle of sixty years of foreign policy in France and Germany. It was the underlying motivation of the movement toward European unification.
Mr. Federal Chancellor, your presence here testifies, once again, to this long and patient work of reconciliation. A fruitful endeavor that the leaders of our two countries undertook in the aftermath of the war, with the legitimacy of their past commitments, with the aura conferred upon them by history.
It is the creation in Paris of the European Coal and Steel Community. It is Germany’s entry into the Atlantic Alliance. It is the Élysée Treaty sealing Franco-German reconciliation and creating the framework for cooperation between our two countries. It is General de Gaulle’s triumphant reception in Germany just a few weeks after Konrad Adenauer’s memorable visit to France. It is Helmut Kohl and François Mitterrand, hand in hand, in front of the Verdun Memorial. It was last year at Versailles, where so much resentment had been born, the fraternal reunion of our two parliaments.
Mr. Federal Chancellor,
You uphold the memory of Germany. You also embody its renewal. You were born when hope was reborn. You belong to that generation born in ruins, which asserted itself with the desire to build a new country, an exemplary democracy, faithful to the universal values of human rights and freedom. This generation that was able to restore Germany’s place, a home of humanism and a cradle of thought, among the European nations, within the community of nations. This generation that experienced the joy of reunification, after half a century of cruel division.
This ceremony testifies to the world that there is no conflict, however painful and profound, that cannot one day give way to dialogue and understanding. To those who confront each other in the endless night of hatred and resentment, our reconciliation offers true hope. Better still, it offers a choice: that of boldness, courage, and patience. There is always a possible path to peace.
Together, the Germans and the French have chosen to carry this message. They have sought to forge new forms of solidarity. They have devoted their energy to the construction and ambition of Europe. At every stage of its history, whenever Europe stagnated, they have been there, with their strength of conviction, impetus, proposals, and action, to help it move forward again.
A Europe finally reunified, this Europe reconnecting with its geography and its past, is now responsible for the expectations, hopes, and destiny of 450 million women and men. It must equip itself with the decision-making tools, the tools of influence, outreach, and action that its restored unity requires it to assume.
A new ambition for Europe. A new challenge also for the Franco-German duo, which must, once again, assert itself as a driving force, a driving force. We want this Europe to be proud of its long history, proud of its culture, proud of the unique social model and way of life it embodies.
A Europe open to trade, a leading economic power, at the service of employment and social progress.
A Europe of intelligence, knowledge, and understanding, with renowned universities and an ambitious research policy.
A Europe capable of speaking and acting with one voice. Capable of putting its historical experience and humanist values at the service of an international order that is fairer, more united, and more respectful of human dignity and the diversity of cultures and peoples.
Our conviction is that a strong Europe will contribute to global stability and give new impetus to the transatlantic relationship. It is through its commitment to peace and solidarity that Europe will remain faithful to the memory of all those who fell here for freedom.
Sixty years ago, at this time, Caen was burning in “a sea of flames,” witnesses will recount. To you, Madam Mayor, and to all the residents of Caen, I want to say that France has not forgotten the martyrdom of your city. It knows the heavy price your city paid for its liberation.
The Peace Memorial, where we are gathered, reminds us that war is nothing but destruction, suffering, and tears.
But it also teaches us the full value of peace and reconciliation, freedom and democracy. This peace and reconciliation, this freedom and democracy, which you embody today, Mr. Federal Chancellor, through your presence here in France, on this beautiful land of Normandy.
On this day of remembrance and hope, the French people welcome you more than ever as a friend. They welcome you as a brother.“
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