I would also like to thank the government of Lebanon and the Lebanese people for their generosity and humanity towards the 1.5 million refugees that this small country hosts.
Germany has taken in some 150,000 refugees from Syria since 2012, and it expects at least as many spouses and children to follow. The vast majority of Germans have embraced those who are fleeing from war, civil war or political oppression. Ordinary Germans have made private donations of food and clothing. Some have even offered accommodation in their homes for an intermediate period.
By and large, Germany welcomes refugees. Of course, we should not be naïve. We are at the beginning of a much larger task to integrate hundreds of thousands of people from different cultural and religious backgrounds for the duration of their stays in Germany. This will take much more than donations and empathy. It will require years and years of effort, good will and resources.
It is a great task, one for a generation, yet it is one we can handle, and we should therefore approach it with a good measure of confidence. At the same time, Germany has made it clear that the burden must be shared, not least among EU countries.
The media plays an extremely important role to support this positive outcome. It influences attitudes through speech and framing, and it can foster understanding by explaining the underlying reasons for different perceptions. Honest and compassionate at the same time, a healthy and spirited press can diffuse conflicts and solve problems.