Every year, France celebrates l'armistice, the anniversary of the end of the First World War. To mark the occasion, Mayor Sabine Löser travelled to the partner municipality of Pierrefitte sur Seine with the Chairman of the Association for Town Twinning of the municipality of Rüdersdorf near Berlin, Patrice Bernard, at the invitation of the local mayor, and laid flowers at the memorial to the fallen soldiers together with her counterpart Michel Fourcade. The ceremony is always preceded by a march from the town hall to the cemetery, which is impressively accompanied by children and musicians. Traditionally, this is followed by a reception for deserving citizens, which was also attended by Mathieu Hanotin, the mayor of Saint-Denis. Both towns on the outskirts of Paris have decided to merge and the mayors emphasised that this will not change the 60 years of friendship between our municipalities. It is lived by the people, not by the administration, and has been actively promoted for years on the Rüdersdorf side by the town twinning association.
"I was once again impressed by the warmth and hospitality."
says Sabine Löser, who is looking forward to the return visit at the beginning of December together with the town twinning association. The small delegation will then prepare the 60th anniversary celebrations with our association members.
"The exchange and cooperation between people across borders and language barriers is what helps me to maintain hope for a peaceful world."
The Mayor's speech at the commemorative event is published below. The spoken word applies:
Dear Sir or Madam,
Dear friends from Pierrefitte-sur-Seine,
I am delighted that you have once again given me the opportunity to speak here today at this impressive commemorative event to mark the anniversary of the end of the First World War.
I still have fond memories of your invitation and the warm welcome I received during my first visit here in Pierrefitte-sur-Seine in 2021. The hospitality, warmth and openness show me how important exchange and cohesion are - despite, no, precisely because of the many brutal, painful and horrific conflicts that our nations have experienced over the past centuries and in which Germany acted as the aggressor.
I have a similar experience with our city partners from Santok in Poland. From the end of the 18th century until the end of the First World War, Poland completely disappeared from the map of Europe as a sovereign state. Poland was divided up by its aggressive neighbours. In the Second World War, it was once again torn apart by imperialism between Hitler and Stalin and brutally overrun by war. Nevertheless, we are also welcomed as friends in Poland today.
These are wonderful signs of cohesion, of the growth of a peaceful, cosmopolitan and tolerant Europe - signs of respect and friendly co-operation.
And yet this self-evident fact, which we achieved after 1945 and which seemed unshakeable and eternal after the end of the Cold War in 1990, appears to be more threatened and fragile today than it has been for a long time.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, another open war has been raging in Eastern Europe - with fierce positional battles and, unfortunately, no prospect of an early end. Parallels - I hope I am allowed to make this comparison - come to mind when I think of the long, senseless and costly battles of the First World War, in which your nation, dear Frenchwomen and men, had to make so many immeasurable sacrifices. So many young men whose lives were sacrificed in senseless battles and as a result of failed diplomacy and exaggerated claims to power.
And today? Have we learnt anything from this?
Not only are we once again experiencing endless, brutal and deeply inhumane wars in Europe, the Middle East and in far too many regions of the world - what worries me even more is that radical and nationalist ideas are once again gaining ground and are reflected in election results. That heads of government are once again in power in large nations who prioritise national interests above all else, whose policies are based on self-presentation and who are prepared to roll back social progress. People who do not fit into their world view must once again be afraid.
All of this fills me with concern.
But I also have hope. This hope is fuelled by moments of remembrance like today.
That you are here today, that you keep the memory alive and remind us of the terrible consequences of nationalism and war. The victims they claim and the inestimable value of peace. That gives me courage.
And it should encourage us all.
Let us remember together today - and let us believe in the values of an open Europe, in the cohesion and friendship of our nations. Let us fill these values with life every day: by enabling young people to discover other countries and cultures, by exchanging ideas and remaining open to other opinions, ways of life and views, by recognising that war, hatred and destruction are never the answer, but always the greatest human failure.
Thank you for your attention.