King Charles III tells Bundestag that Britain and Germany are a ‘joint unit’ without rivals

March 30 (United Press International) — King Charles III made history on Thursday by becoming the first British monarch to address the German parliament on the second day of his state visit, his first overseas visit since taking the throne in September.

Address to a crowded Bundestag king said He has “barely enough to express how proud I am” of Britain’s relationship with Germany and wants to “reaffirm the commitment to friendship between our countries”, which he says is very important to his mother queen elizabeth two.

advertise

“Germany is the only country in the world that has such a joint force with the UK,” said Charles, who thanked the German people for their “extraordinary goodwill” following the Queen’s death last September.

In a speech mostly in German, Charles praised the “important leadership” shown by both countries in the face of Russian incursions Ukraine Said they were “defending freedom and sovereignty”.

He said Russia’s “unprovoked invasion” had “caused unimaginable suffering to so many innocent people”.

“The whole world watches in horror, but we did not stand byCharles said. “As Europe’s two largest donors to Ukraine, we responded decisively. We made decisions that seemed unimaginable before. “

Germany hosts more than a million Ukrainians who fled the war, and both countries have provided weapons, most recently main battle tanks.

The king also praised the cultural links between Britain and Germany, noting that George Frederic Handel’s “Priest Zadok” will be played at next month’s coronation – as has been done at every coronation for nearly 300 years playing – and the world’s first Shakespeare Society was founded in the central German city of Weimar.

The speech was paused as the king paid tribute to the long shared history of the two “old friends” as MPs alternated applause and laughter.

“We laughed together — at each other, at each other,” he said.

But Charles hasn’t shied away from Europe’s dark history of bloody conflict.

“75 years after World War II, it is very important to me to stand with the Germans in honor of all the victims of war and tyranny, and to be among the first members of my family to participate in those deeply moving remembrances ,”He said. explain.

He concluded by saying that there are many unwritten chapters in the long and remarkable story of the two countries.

“Let us fill these with the relentless pursuit of a better tomorrow,” Charles said.

He also met with German Chancellor Olaf Schulz on Thursday’s visit.

After a full military honors greeting at the Brandenburg Gate on Wednesday, the king attended a state dinner hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, where he pledged to “strengthen the relationship between Britain and Germany”. connect”.

King was supposed to visit France first, but this trip was postponed at the last minute Friday due to mass protests and strikes against the president macronReform the national pension system.