By RIA Novosti,
Berlin : German President Horst Koehler thanked on Saturday the former Soviet, U.S. and West German leaders – Mikhail Gorbachev, George Bush Sr. and Helmut Kohl – for their efforts in Germany’s reunification.
The ex-leaders, as well as Koehler, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other officials, guests and journalists gathered in a concert hall in the center of former East Berlin shortly before celebrations dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
“I thank you on behalf of Germany and, I am convinced, on behalf of all European nations,” Koehler said addressing Gorbachev, Bush and Kohl, who met for the first time since Germany’s reunification.
The Berlin Wall, which was erected in 1961 in order to divide the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from the Federal Republic of Germany, was the symbol of the Iron Curtain between Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc for decades.
After its erection, around 5,000 people successfully climbed, tunneled under or flew over the wall into West Germany. Estimates as to the number of people who lost their lives while trying to escape range from 98 to 200.
The fall of the wall on November 9, 1989, was the first step toward German reunification, which was formally concluded on October 3, 1990. The wall fell after Gorbachev had introduced the policy of perestroika in the U.S.S.R., which led to a wave or revolutionary sentiments across Eastern Europe.
On November 9, the Festival of Freedom will be held in Berlin, during which over 1,000 foam domino tiles over 8 feet tall will be stacked along the former route of the wall in the city center and toppled.