NordenBladet —

At the beginning of the meeting, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Lauri Hussar and Prime Minister Kristen Michal delivered the welcoming addresses to the August 20th Club. Member of the August 20 Club Enn Tupp gave the keynote speech. All these speeches recalled the events related to the restoration of Estonia’s independence.

President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar presented his ideas and plans for the upcoming session of the Riigikogu to the distinguished audience. Hussar said that he wished to make the work of the Riigikogu as effective and meaningful as the decision made by the members of the Club 33 years ago had been.

Lauri Hussar also pointed out that Riigikogu should fix the flaws in legislation, which had been delayed for years, already during this season. As an example, he mentioned the presidential elections that would be held the next year, and the related concerns about the presidential election procedure. Hussar underlined that according to good practice, the rules of the game should be in place in good time, and therefore it was necessary to clear up all inconsistencies quickly.

“The members of the Riigikogu in corpore must understand the extent of their responsibility with regard to timely lawmaking. 30 years is too long for one simple correction,” said Hussar.

In his speech, Hussar pointed out that in a complicated international security situation, which in turn was aggravated by economic development problems, a small country like Estonia must do everything to protect its people, its statehood, and its culture.

“The best tool for achieving all this is a determined, well-functioning and forward-looking parliament,” the President of the Riigikogu said.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal said in his address that the restoration of independence had posed many challenges for politicians and the people, and even 33 years later it was still necessary to stand for Estonia’s stability and development. “Today we can be proud of what we have already achieved – we are an open, democratic and modern country, and this very year we celebrated the 20th anniversary of our accession to the European Union and NATO,” he said.

In his speech at the meeting, member to the August 20th Club Enn Tupp discussed being Estonian and being European with good-natured irony. “How and as who will we live in the future? Who is a citizen, who is a representative of a nation?” Tupp asked, among other things. It is easier to find an answer to this question if we look towards the future hopefully, as we did at the time of the restoration of independence.

President of the August 20th Club Ants Veetõusme chaired the meeting.

The August 20 Club, which was founded in 1994, unites the people who were elected to the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia in 1990, and voted for the Resolution to restore the independence of Estonia. 33 years ago, on 20 August 1991 at 11.03 p.m., the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia adopted the Resolution On the National Independence of Estonia, with 69 votes in favour.

On the occasion of the holiday, it was also possible to visit the Tall Hermann Tower. The blue, black and white flag symbolising the independence of the Republic of Estonia flies at the top of the tower.

Photos of the celebrations of the Restoration of Independence Day at Toompea (photographer Erik Peinar, Chancellery of the Riigikogu):

Please note: The photos will be uploaded with a delay.

Riigikogu Press Service
Maiki Vaikla
+372 631 6456, +372 5666 9508
maiki.vaikla@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: The 33rd anniversary of restoration of independence of the Republic of Estonia was celebrated at Toompea

Source: Parliament of Estonia