In the year before the 375th anniversary celebrations, and given the current situation in Ukraine, our cities of peace must lead the way and send a signal of help and solidarity.
Christoph Kühn, member of Osnabrück City Council, explains:
“The escalation in Ukraine comes at a time when our cities are preparing for the 375th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia. The question of whether humanity needs a Peace of Westphalia for the 21st century is being addressed in many different ways as part of the preparations. Unfortunately, in recent days the answer to this question has been pre-empted unilaterally by the Russian leadership.”
Tim Pasch, spokesperson for the Volt council group in Münster City Council, explains:
“The founding of the European Union laid the foundation for lasting peace among its member states. For a long time, the outbreak of war on European soil seemed unrealistic and far away to us. As cities of the Peace of Westphalia, we must now stand up resolutely for freedom, sovereignty and freedom and send clear signals to all aggressors.”
The letter:
Dear Ms Pötter,
Dear Mr Lewe,
In 1648, the Thirty Years' War ended with the Peace of Westphalia in the Hall of Peace of Münster and Osnabrück. The decades-long conflict, which had brought untold suffering and destruction to large parts of Europe, was brought to an end through long negotiations and an unbroken will to reach understanding. This process showed early on that lasting peace and prosperity can only be achieved through understanding among all, and thus laid the foundations for international law and international understanding through diplomacy. Today's European Union is also founded on the achievements of these events. The will to peaceful understanding among nations documented at that time still shapes our coexistence in Münster, Osnabrück and most European countries today.
Next year, our cities will jointly celebrate the 375th anniversary of this peace. However, current events in Ukraine show that this peaceful coexistence cannot be taken for granted. It is unimaginable that acts of war are still taking place in Europe in the 21st century. Yet for other people this has been a reality for years.
In order to do justice to the historical significance of Münster and Osnabrück as cities of the Peace of Westphalia, and to send a signal in the current situation as well, we, as councillors of our cities, would like to call on you to draw up a joint declaration for peace and make it public. This peace declaration should express solidarity with Ukraine as a sovereign state and with its citizens. The joint declaration of our cities of peace should also be sent to the dignitaries of our twin towns with an invitation to sign it, and should encourage other cities throughout Europe to sign it as well. The idea of friendship, partnership and diplomacy must be visible far beyond national borders and stand united against the expansionist and aggressive actions of a nationalist leadership in Russia.
As safe havens, Münster and Osnabrück have a special responsibility to offer protection to refugees and to encourage other towns and municipalities to show solidarity as well. We therefore call on the administrations of Münster and Osnabrück to proactively take all measures to ensure the secure reception of refugees and to signal clearly that we have room and help for refugees.
To send a visible sign of solidarity with Ukraine, the town halls in both cities, which are symbols of peace in Europe, should be illuminated in the national colours of Ukraine.
Signed
Christoph Kühn,
Member of Osnabrück City Council
Tim Pasch,
Spokesperson for the Volt council group in Münster City Council
Helene Goldbeck,
Councillor in Münster City Council
