Ladies and Gentlemen, when one is invited to speak at occasions like this, convention requires beginning with a familiar sentence: "It is a great pleasure and a distinct honour to join you this evening."
But I will not say it that way. Because I did not come here merely because this is an important gathering. I came because of a rather unusual convergence of three things: The city where we meet, the moment in which we meet, and the subject I was asked to address.
