MOSCOW, October 1./TASS/. Germany has embarked on the path of stonewalling Moscow, but chances still remain to overcome these tensions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in his address to a forum marking the 30th anniversary of the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany.
Lavrov reiterated the treaty’s substantial role in ending the Cold War, noting that adding it to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register was a natural and appropriate move. "Thirty years later, it is worth noting that it was our country that played a key, crucial role for the early reunification of Germany, which, by the way, was opposed by a number of allies of the [then] Federal Republic of Germany," the top Russian diplomat pointed out.
The signing of such fundamental agreements between the then USSR and Germany, like the Agreement on Good Neighborliness, Partnership and Cooperation, was a logical result of the treaty.
All this time, Russia has been devoting its utmost efforts towards having a zone of peace, equal and indivisible security, and far-reaching economic and humanitarian cooperation from the Atlantic to the Pacific. "Numerous Russian initiatives were intended for this objective, including the 2008 proposal to sign a treaty on European security," the diplomat pointed out.
However, as a result of a short-sighted NATO-leaning policy and geopolitical games, Europe is going through a major crisis of trust, while the enormous potential of Russian-German cooperation remains untapped. "Moreover, Berlin is now set on deterring Russia. We can hear unfounded accusations, ultimatums and threats hurled at us," Lavrov added. "There are gaping holes in the memory of some German politicians about the historical destiny of our countries in European and world affairs," he went on to say.
However, this phase of tensions can be surmounted for the sake of the fundamental interests of Russia and Germany. "Chances for this remain," he emphasized. "Much will depend on maturity of the members of civil society, their ability to carefully and honestly defend the truth, passing their knowledge and experience on to the younger generations," Lavrov stressed.
The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany laid the foundation for reunification of Germany.