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Dear parliamentary colleagues from Germany and Ukraine – ladies and gentlemen

We are gathered here to remember a defining moment in Danish history.

I am pleased and deeply honored that the President of the German Bundesrat and the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament have chosen to participate in this 
ceremony. 

It is often said that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. By standing together today we reaffirm that our three countries are united in universal values such as freedom, democracy and international legal order. 

The relief behind me commemorates the Danish men and women who died in Denmark’s fight for freedom. It tells a story of pain and anguish – but also of hope for a better future. 

On the evening of the fourth of May 1945, the message of liberation reached Denmark. 

After five years of occupation, darkness began to lift. 

Freedom returned. Not as an abstract idea, but as a reality for ordinary people.

Liberation is a milestone because it reminds us of what was lost, and what was regained: Democracy, human dignity, and the right of nations to choose their own future. 

It also reminds us that we must never take freedom for granted. Remembering history is not about looking backwards in anger or blame. 

It is about learning. 

The experience of war and occupation taught Europe painful lessons about nationalism and the lack of respect for human lives.  

Out of The Second World War grew a determination to build something better.

In the decades following the end of the war, European cooperation transformed former enemies into partners. In Nato and in the EU.  

Step by step, trust replaced hostility. 

Shared institutions replaced conflict. Close cooperation has made Europe stronger — politically, economically, and morally.

But the struggle for freedom did not end in 1945. 

It continues wherever people defend their right to live in peace and with respect for human dignity.

By laying a wreath, we pay tribute to those who suffered and to those who resisted. 

At the same time, we renew our common responsibility to protect the values that freedom demands of us all. 

Thank you.