Thiruvananthapuram: The German Day of Unity and the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall were celebrated on November 09 at an event organized by Goethe-Zentrum, Trivandrum.
Speaking on the occasion, Achim Burkart, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, said, “In a crisis-ridden world confronted with intractable challenges, Germany valued its partnership with India highly. Democracies that place human dignity at the centre have a critical role in shaping a better future based on shared values.
Dr Syed Ibrahim, German Honorary Consul; G Vijayaraghavan, Chairman of Goethe Zentrum, Trivandrum; P Sreeramakrishnan, Vice-Chairman of Norka Roots, and Ajith Kolaserry, CEO of Norka Roots were among those present on the occasion.
Noting that the German constitution makes an unequivocal declaration that “Human dignity is inviolable”, the Consul General said this assertion is all the more important “when faced with a world that is so out of joint. “India and Germany together can achieve so many things together. Let’s continue to go this common path,” he added. Though challenges staring at humanity are grim there is no need to abandon hope as democracies like Germany and India can leverage their influence to create a better world, he said.
“Let give me you a short answer: don’t worry, Germany is and will remain a stable democracy and also will continue to be an economic powerhouse and it will continue to be a close partner and friend of India. Yes, the future is uncertain. It is open. But that also means that it is in our hands,” the Consul General said.
He noted that Dr Syed Ibrahim and his team have been working relentlessly for the betterment of the Indo-German relations, the spreading of the German language in Kerala and the support for well-trained Keralites to migrate to Germany.
The event also marked the celebration of the successful employment of 528 nurses in Germany within two years through the Norka Triple Win Kerala project in collaboration with the Goethe Zentrum.