MESSAGE FOR THE FINAL DOCUMENTATION
of the Youth4Peace international youth encounter to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. How can we preserve peace and freedom in Europe? What connects us today with the darkest chapters in German and European history? The ques- tions the participants in the Youth4Peace international youth encounter addressed this year are more relevant now than ever before. Because 80 years after the end of the Second World War, we have to defend our freedom and our democratic values. With the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has turned its back on all the rules which have underpinned our co-existence in Europe since the end of the Second World War. Our response to this devel- opment must be to strengthen our European defence and our European cohesion at the same time. Youth exchange is an invaluable contribution towards this goal. This was one of the issues we discussed at our meeting in the Federal Chancellery on 8 May. After all, the strength of European understanding can only prevail and evolve if every generation plays an active role in it. Projects such as Youth4Peace enable young people to network across borders, make friends and find common ground. This allows them to promote international understanding in the best sense of the word and to lay the foundation for a future of peace and cooperation in Europe. For that, I would like to thank all participants.
Friedrich Merz Federal Chancellor
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