Technical museum, Berlin, Germany 13 Sep . 2005

Remarks by the Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit at the Reception to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Germany’s membership to NATO KLAUS WOWEREIT (Mayor of Berlin): Secretary General, Minister Struck, Ministers, Chiefs of Defence, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to German's capital city, welcome to Berlin, and welcome to this fantastic museum. It is called Deutsche Technikmuseum Berlin, Museum of Technology Berlin, and I think it is a wonderful museum in Berlin, one of the best, and especially for men who can remember to their childhood, it's a fantastic atmosphere here, and I'm sure that you will enjoy it very much this evening. I'm delighted that Federal Minister of Defence has chosen the Lokschuppen, or the engine shed of the Tecknikmuseum as the venue for tonight's reception. This museum traces the development of technology from its very beginnings to high technology and covers a number of different fields from aviation to shipping, from architecture to the railway system. With its many exhibits it has become a magnet for people from every generation. The recent opening of the aviation section holds particular fascination. You may have already noticed the C-42 Skytrain airplane attached to the façade of the building. You can see it outside. Minister Struck mentioned it. Berliners affectionately call it a "raisin bomber", and it is a symbol for the support given to the city by the western allies during the Berlin blockade. Without the Airlift West Berlin would not have been able to survive and we are still grateful for the help offered to us. Since then time has moved on. Sixteen years have passed since the fall of the wall, and we Germans now live in a reunited Germany, a reunited Berlin. As an international city with a very multicultural and multi-religious population Berlin knows how important it is to find a way of living together peacefully. Thanks to the EU's enlargement to the East, Berlin has moved to the centre of the European continent, where it is not able to fulfil its potential and act as an engine for peace. Peace not only for Germany and Europe, but for the whole world is the goal we share with NATO. NATO has become an instrument of a wide-ranging partnership for security and an important partner for the United Nations in international peacekeeping missions. I think we all share the view that we can only deal with today's challenges if we join forces. With this in mind I wish you a successful meeting and I hope that you will enjoy this evening and let yourselves be fascinated by what the German Museum of Technology has to offer. Once again, welcome to Berlin.