Single title
In Lars Peter Schmidt, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung has lost an esteemed and highly committed colleague. Many employees have lost a dear friend. He was known for his energetic style and superb political acumen. Lars Peter Schmidt took on all professional challenges with great drive and commitment. He was an outstanding networker, till the very last when he mounted a delegation of Indian politicians to the CDU party congress in Essen, Germany, in December 2016 and met many of his political friends. For many foreign policymakers within the CDU, he was a highly sought after advisor and for us as a foundation, he has opened many doors with his open and honest personality. This is true for his time as a Project Assistant and later Resident Representative in Turkey (1995-2001) as well as his time as a Country Officer in the Headquarters between 2001 and 2005. Later on, till 2007, he was responsible for our work in Thailand as a Resident Representative. It is difficult to isolate any particular instance amongst the many exceptional and myriad memories of Lars Peter Schmidt. Among the most notable ones, it was fascinating to observe as to how, between 2007 and 2012, he headed our office in Russia, which then was already a very complex area of operation: Passionately, he contributed to deepening the political and civil society dialogue between Germany and Russia. Similarly, he has succeeded, within the short time of assuming the same role in India office in 2013, to develop further, strong relations with high ranking personages across the spectrum of government, political parties and civil society.
With his admirable work, Lars Peter Schmidt created a lasting and indelible legacy which will always be cherished by the Foundation and all those who came in contact with him.
In profound grief,
Dr. Hans-Gert Pöttering | Michael Thielen | Dr. Gerhard Wahlers | Team KAS-India
