Helmut Kohl, who served as German chancellor from 1982 to 1998, and presided over reunification of his country divided after the Second World War, passed away on Friday at the age of 87.
The colossally-built Kohl, of the Christian Democratic Union, was Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (or West Germany) from 1982 to 1990, and then of reunited Germany till 1998 after the German Democratic Republic merged with it after fall of its communist government.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl after learning about his death, saying "the great achievements of our Europe owe a lot to Helmut KohL".
Helmut Kohl "was one of the great men of Europe and of the free world," Macron said in a statement, adding that "as a craftsman of the unification of his country, Helmut Kohl, together with Francois Mitterand, forged the unity of Europe and deepened the Franco-German relationship."
(With IANS inputs)
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