Friday, May 06, 2016

Germany: Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1927 - 2016)

Hans-Dietrich Genscher (21 March 1927 – 31 March 2016) was a German statesman and a member of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), who served as Minister of the Interior from 1969 to 1974, and as Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1974 to 1992 (except for a two-week break in 1982), making him the longest-serving occupant of either post. In 1991 he was chairman of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). He is widely regarded as a principal "architect of German Reunification." In 1991, he played a pivotal role in the breakup of Yugoslavia by successfully pushing for international recognition of Croatia, Slovenia and other republics declaring independence, in an effort to halt "a trend towards a Greater Serbia.

Genscher died at his home outside Bonn in Wachtberg on 31 March 2016 from heart failure, one week and three days after his 89th birthday.



Stamps (left to right):
Numeral Stamp - Issued: 05-12-2013
Numeral Stamp - Issued: 03-12-2015
Mourning Stamp - Issued: 05-12-2013 with special postmark commemorating his day of death

2 comments:

  1. Great cover! Have you printed it on your own?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, I've tried out my new printer :)

    ReplyDelete