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KAS Representatives from Asia meet former President Corazon Aquino

Former President Corazon Aquino stressed the necessity of strengthening democratic processes around the world and thanked the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung for its contribution to the Philippines. KAS has been operating in the country for the past 44 years. The luncheon with the 19 representatives of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Asia was held during the annual meeting of the KAS Asia team on May 23, 2007 at the Patio Guernica, Malate.

The head of KAS team Asia, Dr. Stefan Friedrich, praised President Aquino as an icon of democracy. The election of President Aquino in 1986 as Philippine president served world wide as a sign of hope for the ones struggling with dictatorship and oppression. Many of the KAS representatives, who were already politically active in the 1980s shared the view that the People Power Revolution belongs to one of the political events in their lives they will never forget.

President Aquino expressed her joy that just a few years later, the Berlin Wall fell. She recalls her visit to Germany as President, especially her meetings with former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, whom she described as one of the kindest persons she has ever met.

The luncheon was also attended by the Head of the Aquino Foundation, Rafael Lopa and Mr. Paul Schäfer, country representative of the Hanns Seidel Stiftung. It highlighted the big events in the past as well as the significance of working for democracy in our days. The meeting with the former President was a highlight for the KAS group, who met in Manila to their annual meeting to discuss the concept of political freedom in Asia (and future programs in the region).