GERMANY - Berlin has announced a "German-Russian Youth Year" for 2016/2017. As former Head of the Federal Chancellery Ronald Pofalla (CDU) declared last week at the conclusion of a German-Russian Cooperation Meeting ("Petersburg Dialogue"), cooperation between German and Russian civil societies is "more important than ever."
Therefore, the German government's efforts to intensify the German-Russian student exchange program must be supported. Already at the beginning of the Petersburg Dialogue, which has restarted, following a year's interruption, Chancellor Merkel explained that Germany is "interested in a reliable partnership with Russia."
Business functionaries are concluding that willingness to cooperate, which had waned due to the Ukraine conflict, is again growing "on both sides." Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, foresees a "diplomatic process" under Berlin's leadership that will lead to a further rapprochement during Germany's OSCE chair - beginning January 1, 2016. Ischinger explicitly points to similarities to the cold war's so-called détente policy, from which the West emerged the winner.
Is history about to repeat itself?
In his Personal column in the October, 1985 edition of the Plain Truth Magazine, Mr Armstrong warned:
“Before World War II, a mutual accord had been made between Germany and Russia. History often repeats itself.” (The Plain Truth)
Note the quotes from the news article:
“…cooperation between German and Russian civil societies is ‘more important than ever’.”
“Germany is ‘interested in a reliable partnership with Russia’.”
Are we seeing the groundwork beginning right now?