# Franco-Berlin Wall unity a reference to the Franco-German Treaty on Mutual Consultation and Cooperation, signed by France and West Germany on 22 January 1963. It provided for cooperation in foreign affairs, defense, education and information through periodic meetings of ministers and other government officials. The "Berlin Wall" refers to the fortified barrier of concrete and wire erected in the city of Berlin, Germany in 1961 which divided the city into a communist section and a noncommunist section (just as the country was similarly divided between communist East and noncommunist West) to keep East Berliners from defecting to the West. The wall was finally torn down in 1990 and free passage between the two sections of the city was allowed once again.