Germany mourns former President Horst Kohaler at 81

Germanyformer President Horst kohlerWho served as the head of the state from 2004 to 2010 and was a strong lawyer for Africa, died on Saturday at the age of 81 after a brief illness.

President Frank-Walter Steinmier wrote in a letter to Kohaler’s widow, “With the death of Horst Kohler, we have lost a highly respected and highly popular person who has achieved great things for our country and the world.”

Chancellor Olaf Sholaz praised Kohalar as a “committed politician, who dedicated his life to a fair world.”

Surrounded by the family, he died in Berlin in the early hours.

An economist, Kohlar, was the first German President without a background in professional politics by training.

Prior to his presidency, he led the International Monetary Fund in Washington and played a senior role in civil service and banking.

Kohlar became the head of the state of Germany – a large -scale formal role – when later nominated by opposition leader Angela Merkel, who later became Chancellor.

Steinmier mentioned that Kohlar was “virtually unknown” at the time of his election, but soon earned “comprehensive recognition and affection”.

Re -elected for a second term in 2009, Kohlar resigned after controversial comments in an interview in May 2010, which was seen as supporting military deployment abroad to protect German trade interests.

‘Land of thoughts’

Kohlar often highlighted the strength of Germany, promoting it as “land of ideas” with creativity and energy to shape its own future and make a positive contribution to the world.

The focus of his foreign policy was particularly strong on Africa, an continent that he often visited.

The head of the former President’s Office, Swen Behanke wrote, “He was tired of emphasizing the importance of Africa and the ability for global development.”

“For him, getting entangled with Africa was not only intelligent and forward-thinking, but also a moral duty.”

From 2017 to 2019, Kohalar served as the United Nations messenger for Western Sahara, leading diplomatic efforts to resolve a long -standing struggle between Morocco and Algerian -backed Polisario Front.

In 2012, he was also part of the United Nations panel advising the Global Development Agenda beyond 2015.

Steinmier paid homage that Kohler would be remembered as “a stroke of luck for our country” and “a stroke of fate for our country”.