German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Hungary and Iceland from August 19-20 to attend celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic, the symbolic dismantling of the Iron Curtain, in the Hungarian city of Sopron and join the Nordic Council meeting in Reykjavik, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Friday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th August, 2019) German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Hungary and Iceland from August 19-20 to attend celebrations for the 30th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic, the symbolic dismantling of the Iron Curtain, in the Hungarian city of Sopron and join the Nordic Council meeting in Reykjavik, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Friday."With this trip, the Chancellor wants to express her appreciation for the special contribution Hungary has made to complete the liberation and reunification of Germany," he said.
During her visit to Sopron, Merkel will discuss bilateral and international issues with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Seibert added.
Merkel will travel from Hungary to Iceland on Monday evening. The following day, she will take part in the Nordic Council alongside the heads of government of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. According to Seibert, representatives of the five Nordic states will focus their discussions on climate change and the Arctic.
The Pan-European Picnic was a peace demonstration that happened on August 19, 1989, at the Austrian-Hungarian border. It resulted in border posts opening for a few hours and about 600 people fleeing East Germany. This was considered the start of the Iron Curtain being lifted. The Berlin Wall fell several months later.
