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Joint Communiqué by Erich Honecker and Helmut Kohl (September 8, 1987)

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In their joint effort to exhaust every opportunity for an ever wider and more constructive dialogue about peoples' concerns in East and West, and in the conviction that a long-term, stable, and lasting peace in Europe cannot be achieved by military means alone, both sides attach great significance to the CSCE process. Balanced, tangible progress in all areas relating to the Final Act of Helsinki is an important measure of the will for détente and of the readiness to solve security questions by building confidence. Both sides therefore advocate that all principles and regulations of the Final Act of Helsinki, and the concluding documents from Madrid, become fully effective – for the benefit of the people and in the interest of cooperation among states.

In this context, General Secretary Honecker and Chancellor Kohl conducted an open exchange of opinions about the realization of all human rights. [ . . . ]

In the context of East-West dialogue, they emphasized the outcome of negotiations on effective measures for arms control and disarmament in all areas. Based on the principles of equality and parity, a stable balance of power must be achieved at the lowest possible level, and any imbalances must be dismantled. This must be effectively verifiable. [ . . . ]

General Secretary Honecker and Chancellor Kohl affirmed their willingness to contribute to the success of the Viennese negotiations on mutual reduction of armed forces and armaments and associated measures in central Europe. [ . . . ]

General Secretary Honecker and Chancellor Kohl characterized their exchange of opinions as necessary and conducive to the further development of relations. They spoke out in favor of continuing and intensifying contacts at the high political and other levels.



Source: Joint Communiqué by Erich Honecker and Helmut Kohl, 8. September 1987, Neues Deutschland, September 9, 1987; reprinted in Ein Erfolg der Politik der Vernunft und des Realismus: Offizieller Besuch des Generalsekretärs des Zentralkomitees der Sozialistischen Einheitspartei Deutschlands und Vorsitzenden des Staatsrates der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, Erich Honecker, in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland vom 7. bis 11. September 1987 [An Achievement in the Politics of Reason and Realism: The Official Visit of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party Germany and GDR General Secretary Erich Honecker in the Federal Republic of Germany from September 7-11, 1987]. Berlin, 1987, p. 39 ff.

Translation: Jeremiah Riemer

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