To this very day, the massacre in Oradour-sur-Glane carried out by German SS troops 75 years ago remains a symbol of unimaginable inhumanity and cruelty.

We bow our heads in shame and deep sorrow before the victims and their descendants. The crimes which Germans committed against our neighbours during the Second World War remain an integral part of our history.

We are therefore all the more grateful for the hand they have extended to us Germans and for their willingness to embrace reconciliation. For us, the Franco-German friendship is both a blessing and an obligation.

Our united, democratic and peaceful Europe is the answer to the experiences of war, fascism, the Holocaust and barbarity that emanated from German soil. Today’s anniversary makes it incumbent upon us to vigorously defend the European peace project against nationalism and populism.