page_title: Helmut Schmidt
section_title: Friendships
hierarchical_section_title: Helmut Schmidt / Friendships
caption_attribution_description: English: 50th Munich Security Conference 2014: Helmut Schmidt, en:Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Henry Kissinger and Egon Bahr: Helmut Schmidt (Former Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany; Editor, Die Zeit), Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (Former President, French Republic), Henry Kissinger (Former Secretary of State, USA) and Egon Bahr (Former Federal Minister for Special Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany).Deutsch: de:Helmut Schmidt, de:Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, de:Henry Kissinger und de:Egon Bahr
context_page_description: Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, who served as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1974 to 1982.
  Before becoming Chancellor, he had served as Minister of Defence and as Minister of Finance. In the latter role he gained credit for his financial policies. He had also served briefly as Minister of Economics and as acting Foreign Minister. As Chancellor, he focused on international affairs, seeking "political unification of Europe in partnership with the United States" and issuing proposals that led to the NATO Double-Track Decision in 1979 to deploy US Pershing II missiles to Europe. He was an energetic diplomat who sought European co-operation and international economic co-ordination and was the leading force in creating the European Monetary System in 1978. He was re-elected chancellor in 1976 and 1980, but his coalition fell apart in 1982 with the switch by his coalition allies, the Free Democratic Party.
  He retired from Parliament in 1986, after clashing with the SPD's left wing, who opposed him on defence and economic issues.
context_section_description: Schmidt described the assassinated Egyptian president Anwar Sadat as one of his friends from the world of politics, and maintained a friendship with ex-president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing of France. His circle also included former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who went on record as stating that he wished to predecease Helmut Schmidt, because he would not wish to live in a world without him.
  He was also good friends with former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. At the 4th G7 summit in 1978, the two discussed strategies for the upcoming Canadian federal election, and Schmidt gave him advice on economic policy. In 2011, Schmidt made a pilgrimage to the Trudeau family vault in St-Rémi-de-Napierville Cemetery, accompanied by Jean Chrétien and Tom Axworthy.
caption: Schmidt with Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Henry Kissinger and Egon Bahr (2014)
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