60 years of French- German friendship: Op-ed

On Jan. 22, we are celebrating 60 years of French-German friendship! On this day in 1963, then-French President Charles de Gaulle and German chancellor Konrad Adenauer signed the Élysée treaty. This treaty marks reconciliation between our two countries, after centuries of enmity and just 18 years after the end of World War II. With this treaty, we did not only officially declare friendship between our countries and the democratic values that we share, but also founded structures to further strengthen people-to-people contacts with an important focus on youth exchange and to coordinate our foreign, European and security policy by means of regular consultations. In 2019, the Aix-la-Chapelle-Aachen treaty further complemented that endeavor. The strong bilateral bond between our countries has also been a driving force for European integration.

Germany and France are also taking initiatives for shaping EU relations with Türkiye - a candidate country anchored to the EU by an association agreement since 1964 and a customs union since 1995. High-level dialogues within the ongoing positive agenda on topics including climate, migration, anti-terrorism, health and agriculture, are set to explore and strengthen fields of cooperation and the participation of Türkiye in EU programs such as Erasmus.
Almost 80 years after the end of World War II, war has returned to Europe with the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Again, Franco-German consultation has been crucial for coordinating, together with EU institutions, a common European response to support Ukraine, in close coordination with NATO allies, and to adopt EU sanctions against Russia. Together with our partners and allies, we made clear that this breach of international law cannot be accepted. Türkiye plays an...

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