Beyond enmity: France and Germany come together at St Joseph’s College

The consuls general of the two countries explain how they overcame their differences.

KARACHI: France and Germany have had their fair share of warfare and on Thursday, the consuls general of the two countries came together to give a 90-minute presentation on how the one-time enemies moved beyond their differences.

Students and faculty from six institutions, including St Patrick’s School and St Joseph’s Convent Girls School, had been invited to attend the presentation at St Joseph’s College for Women.

Principal Prof. Bernadette L. Dean, explained that the objective of the presentation was to inform students about world affairs and about the cultural and historical bonds that have shaped the history of the two European powers. The consuls general delved into the history of enmity between France and Germany since the 16th century, which reached its peak during the Frantco-Prussian War of 1870. The era of peace, referred to by Germans as ‘Deutsch-Französische Freundschaft’ began only after the end of the Second World War, they added.



“France and Germany decided to accept each other’s differences and that is the main reason why they have found peace with one another over the past 50 years,” said the French consul general, Christian Ramage. German consul general Dr Tino Klinner explained that the two countries functioned like “twin engines”, which pushed forward the move for the integration of the European Union.



The consuls general stressed that the two countries were able to move beyond enmity after years of aggression and that war was not the answer to political disputes.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2013.