I have just heard here in Dushanbe about the death of Hans-Dietrich Genscher – news that moves me deeply and fills me with great sadness.

Over the course of his long and eventful life, Hans-Dietrich Genscher literally made history – that of our country, Germany, and of Europe. He is assured of a place in the history books. His life‑long task was to overcome the division of Germany and the rift in Europe.

Hans-Dietrich Genscher was Germany’s longest‑serving Foreign Minister. He was fortunate enough to play a role in German reunification, his life’s great political goal, and to guide and support the completion of German unification during his own lifetime.

We have lost a great German and a great European today. We share in the grief of his widow and family.