BERLIN — President Dmitry Medvedev has stressed that the Soviet Union’s role in bringing down the Berlin Wall and suggested more must be done to clear “our common Europe” of dividing lines, alluding to the differences and distrust that still set Russia apart from the West.
“This wall divided not only a single country but, as we realize today, all of Europe,” Medvedev said, taking his turn in a series of speeches by leaders gathered at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate for 20th-anniversary ceremonies late Monday.
Medvedev said the wall was “destined to fall” amid reforms that were gaining momentum in the Soviet Union and other countries in Eastern Europe, which was dominated by Moscow. “The role of the Soviet Union in that period was truly decisive.”
“These events brought Europe freedom and progress and became a turning point for the fate of the world,” he said.
Medvedev was overshadowed in Berlin by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who was celebrated by Germans chanting “Gorby! Gorby!” and praised by Chancellor Angela Merkel with the words: “You made this possible.”
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communist regimes in Eastern Europe were followed in 1991 by the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Former Soviet satellites across Eastern Europe have joined the European Union and NATO, but ties between Russia and Europe are still troubled by disputes on issues ranging from military power to human rights. Russian officials often blame Western nations for the persistent chill.
Medvedev suggested that Russia considers itself a part of Europe and is dissatisfied with lingering divisions.
“Here in Berlin, I would like to say that we all hope the time of confrontation is in the past,” he said.
“The unification agenda is very important for everyone … and I hope we all have rejected the barriers that divided us before. Today, we would like to work on this agenda with you — think about our children, think about our future, our common Europe,” Medvedev said. “This is very important for Russian citizens as well.”
Since his election in 2008, Medvedev has been persistently calling for a new security treaty that would encompass Europe, North America and Russia as well as other former Soviet republics — an effort to bolster Russia’s global influence while also bringing it closer to its former Cold War foes.
European leaders have reacted cautiously to the initiative amid fears that it would undermine NATO and other existing arrangements.
Medvedev ended his speech with cordial words to the crowd in German and held out Russia’s relations with Germany as an example of positive change, saying the events of 20 years ago had helped the nations achieve a “historic reconciliation” after the enmity of World War II.
Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy met on the sidelines of Berlin Wall celebrations and issued a warning to Iran over its disputed nuclear program, saying “the international community’s patience is not infinite.”
Sarkozy’s office said the two “do not rule out” more sanctions for Iran.