French president pays tribute to late German statesman Wolfgang Schauble

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday paid tribute to the late former German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, stressing that his commitment to the French-German relationship was significant.

“Germany has lost a statesman, Europe has lost a pillar, France has lost a friend,” Macron told in his speech at the German parliament, during a state ceremony to commemorate veteran politician Wolfgang Schauble.

Conservative politician Wolfgang Schauble was one of the most influential politicians in the country and served as finance minister between 2009 and 2017, and later as parliament speaker from 2017 to 2021. He died last month at age 81.

Macron also noted that today marks the 61st anniversary of the Elysee Treaty, which was signed between France and Germany to start the process of reconciliation, and lay the foundations for a close cooperation.

"This task was in the hands of several generations. They include the founding fathers of Europe. Wolfgang Schauble belonged to this generation of master builders,” he said.