Press Release - VNG Verbundnetz Gas AG

Press Release
VNG commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution
VNG Chairman Karsten Heuchert acknowledges bravery and civic courage
James Baker, Matthias Platzeck and Kurt Masur sign original section of the
Berlin Wall
Leipzig, October 8, 2014. “Even after all this time, I find the courage shown by people in the
face of reprisals by the SED dictatorship to stand up and fight for freedom and selfdetermination deeply moving and worthy of the greatest respect,” Dr. Karsten Heuchert,
Chairman of VNG – Verbundnetz Gas AG, said today at a ceremony held at the VNG
headquarters to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution. As a “child”
of this revolution and in acknowledgement of its strong ties with the city of Leipzig, VNG
invited contemporary witnesses of the Peaceful Revolution along with partners and friends to
join the company in remembering the events of autumn 1989.
Special guests included the two former US Secretaries of State James Baker and Henry
Kissinger (winner of the Nobel Peace Prize), Matthias Platzeck (former Minister-President,
representative of the Central Round Table of the GDR), Prof. Dr. Horst Teltschik (former
Deputy Head of the Office of the German Chancellor), Burkhard Jung, Mayor of Leipzig,
Leslie Mandoki, music producer and member of the student opposition movement in
Hungary, and Prof. Kurt Masur, former Kapellmeister of Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
Peaceful Revolution brought fresh start for VNG
“Our thanks go to all those citizens who took to the streets in autumn 1989, thus setting in
motion those changes we are fortunate enough to enjoy today. This specifically includes the
many VNG employees who not only helped to shape the Peaceful Revolution, but also
captured the new spirit of optimism to pave the way for VNG to successfully make the
transition from a planned economy to a market economy”, Heuchert commented. VNG was a
classic East German combine that was nevertheless very quickly transformed into a joint
stock company just two days before the German Economic and Monetary Union came into
effect. That made VNG the first large company in eastern Germany to be successfully
privatised by Treuhandanstalt (the trust agency for the privatisation of East German
industry).
VNG - Verbundnetz Gas Aktiengesellschaft (VNG) ··Corporate Communications
Braunstrasse 7 · 04347 Leipzig · Postal address: Postfach 241263 · 04332 Leipzig · Germany
Head of Corporate Communications Bernhard Kaltefleiter
Tel.: +49 (0)341 443-2058 · Fax: +49 (0)341 443-2006 · E-Mail: [email protected] · Internet: http://www.vng.de
VNG’s unique section of the Wall symbolises the Peaceful Revolution
On the 20th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution, VNG bought an original section of the
Berlin Wall in aid of the charity organization “Ein Herz für Kinder e.V.” as part of its initiative
to encourage democracy and tolerance called “Verbundnetz für Demokratie und Toleranz”. It
is the only piece of the Wall in the world that bears the signatures of the three “fathers of
unification” – Dr. Helmut Kohl, Mikhail Gorbachev and George H.W. Bush. In 2010 and 2011,
this unique 3.60 meter high section of the Wall weighing 2.7 tonnes went on a journey across
Germany and Europe as part of a touring exhibition called “Mauerfälle” (breaking down walls)
designed to encourage a dialog on freedom and democracy between the younger and the
older generations. “We feel it is extremely important to communicate the enormous
significance of the Peaceful Revolution to young people in particular and to convey to them
just how important bravery and civic courage are for society, even today,” Heuchert said. The
signatures of outstanding personalities who showed their commitment to a democratic
Germany in autumn 1989 and later were collected as the Wall made its journey.
During today’s ceremony, James Baker, Matthias Platzeck and Kurt Masur added their
signatures to this historic monument. Baker, US Secretary of State from 1989 to 1992,
supported the idea of reunification from the outset, and was thus instrumental in taking it
forward. Matthias Platzeck, long-standing Minister-President of Brandenburg, was one of the
representatives of the Central Round Table of the GDR in East Berlin and therefore had a
tangible impact on the political decisions of the GDR transitional government. “For me, the
real day of German unity is actually October 9, 1989. On that evening, the future of Germany
was decided on the streets of Leipzig,” Matthias Platzeck said as he signed the Wall. Masur
was one of the six prominent Leipzig citizens to issue an appeal asking people to refrain from
violence ("Keine Gewalt!") thus paving the way for a peaceful transition to democracy in the
GDR. “People everywhere – never forget what you can achieve and keep up your courage!”
Prof. Kurt Masur urged.
23 contemporary witnesses, including Horst Teltschik, Friedrich Schorlemmer, Joachim
Gauck, Hans-Diedrich Genscher and Angela Merkel, have now signed the section of the
Wall, transforming it into a monument to the Peaceful Revolution and German reunification.
“This section of the Wall and the signatures remind us that walls cannot last forever if people
have the courage to tear them down”, Karsten Heuchert stated, and added: “We can only
create a peaceful and tolerant society and overcome divisions if we all join together.”
Heuchert also addressed the political significance of this unique specimen: “The signatures
of George H. W. Bush and Michail Gorbatschow are a symbol that the Peaceful Revolution
would not have remained peaceful without the support of the USA and the Soviet Union.
History has shown it could not be taken for granted that the USA and the Soviet Union would
agree to let the German people decide for themselves on unification.”
VNG - Verbundnetz Gas Aktiengesellschaft (VNG) ··Corporate Communications
Braunstrasse 7 · 04347 Leipzig · Postal address: Postfach 241263 · 04332 Leipzig · Germany
Head of Corporate Communications Bernhard Kaltefleiter
Tel.: +49 (0)341 443-2058 · Fax: +49 (0)341 443-2006 · E-Mail: [email protected] · Internet: http://www.vng.de
Following the ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution, the section
of the Wall will journey to the USA as a symbol of the fight for freedom and unity and also of
transatlantic relations. This initiative has the support of the German Embassy and the Atlantic
Council, whose mission is to foster US engagement in international affairs based on the
Atlantic Community’s central role.
VNG – Verbundnetz Gas Aktiengesellschaft (VNG AG) is a natural gas merchant
company and energy service provider with headquarters in Leipzig. VNG AG is a company
within the VNG Group that is active throughout the value chain of the German and European
natural gas industry and focuses on the four key business areas of exploration & production,
trading & services, transport, and storage. With more than 50 years of experience, the VNG
Group makes a key contribution to ensuring secure supplies of natural gas. The Group
employs over 1,400 people and recorded sales of approximately €11 billion in 2013. Further
information is available at www.vng.de.
VNG - Verbundnetz Gas Aktiengesellschaft (VNG) ··Corporate Communications
Braunstrasse 7 · 04347 Leipzig · Postal address: Postfach 241263 · 04332 Leipzig · Germany
Head of Corporate Communications Bernhard Kaltefleiter
Tel.: +49 (0)341 443-2058 · Fax: +49 (0)341 443-2006 · E-Mail: [email protected] · Internet: http://www.vng.de

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