Helmut Kohl Quotes

I will work for Bulgaria's strategic choice - Bulgaria's membership in the European Union and NATO. I think it is also extremely important to revive Bulgaria's relations with Russia, Ukraine and other strategic partners.

We should be therefore supporting a larger Europe, and in so doing we should strive to expand the zone of peace and prosperity in the world which is the necessary foundation for a stable international system in which our leadership could be fruitfully exercised.

Germany must be a country which generates political ideas and leadership, which is capable of compromise, which is sovereign and yet knows that it needs its partners on both sides of the Atlantic.

France wants Britain to remain in the E.U.; indeed, how can we imagine that friendly nation that is our ally and played a role on the international stage could be outside the E.U.?

For a sitting U.S. president to see our allies as freeloaders is nuts.

If we are to retain our position as the world's leading superpower, we must maintain our influence and diplomatic relationships. We cannot do that if we become known for abandoning our allies and reneging on our promises.

With respect to Euro-Atlantic integration, we have to realize that we need to normalize the relationships with our neighbors, and especially with Russia.

China's reform and opening-up programme and Europe's integration process have both contributed significantly to global peace, development, and prosperity. China firmly supports the integration of Europe and regards the E.U. as a strategic partner that deserves our confidence.

Finally we are a nation with some conscience. It means alliances are extremely important when they're based on a national interest. We have to have the ability to sustain our presence within those alliances.

We are convinced that Turkey would be a useful member of the European Union.

We all read news stories about the difficulties and tensions that the United States has with our allies and even with coalition partners in Iraq, but we rarely read about the good news.

Germany is an economic giant but a political midget, and with the end of the Cold War she has started to muscle her presence throughout Europe and the world.

The ideal of all Kosovo is membership in the E.U. and a permanent friendship with the United States. I believe and I am convinced our dreams will come true.

It is important to show our European partners that Portugal is a governable country.

The French don't seek out alliances except when there are difficulties.

Acknowledge that a more closely integrated Europe is no longer an unqualified American interest.

India will be a more reliable and trusting partner than Pakistan has ever been.

European Commission President Romano Prodi expressed [the] formula [for Eu-Russian cooperation in Eastern Europe] in 2002. Russia would share with the EU "everything but institutions". In plain terms, this meant that Russia would adopt EU rules and regulations but would not be able to influence their development.

Brussels and its multifarious networks provide member states not just with trading access but also a guarantee of regular encounters, negotiations, contacts, informants, and alliances.

We believe that from both a German and a Polish perspective, it is desirable for Great Britain to remain in the European Union.

I do not want Britain to turn its back on Europe or the rest of the world.

Frankly, our adversaries are emboldened by the lack of American leadership in the world, and our friends and our allies, they have lost trust in us.

Hillary Clinton and John Kerry have left the U.S. with better relations with Iran and Cuba and worse relations with allies like Israel.

I think overall our national security is strengthened if we are able to make the decisions that we need and the alliances that we believe in outside the current structures of the European Union.

The idea that the EU is somehow the guarantor of peace on the continent - that is in itself rash, in my view, and risks undermining the vital role of Nato.