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At the reception dedicated to the anniversary of the Great Escape, Hussar said that the people who had decided to leave their homeland 80 years ago had not wanted to do that, but they could not stay either. “It was a difficult and painful decision for everyone. Those who chose to flee embarked on perilous journeys across the sea, with many tragically perishing before reaching the shores of Gotland and Sweden,” he said.

Hussar noted that starting a new life had not been easy, and it had taken years for the refugees to find new homes, whether in Gotland, on the Swedish mainland, or elsewhere in the free world. “We remain deeply grateful to the Swedish people for their hospitality and support in welcoming our refugees. Those who stayed behind experienced, once again, the brutal and oppressive nature of the Stalinist regime—enduring deportations, repression, and the forced sovietisation of our societies for the next 47 years,” he said.

The President of the Riigikogu emphasised that since the Great Escape of Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians, much had changed in the world, and yet some things had remained the same, or sadly, had reappeared. “The grim reality is that today’s Russia behaves much like the Stalinist Soviet Union, with similar imperialist ambitions,” he pointed out, and added that as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania had together welcomed tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine—people who had fled their homes for the same reasons as Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians 80 years ago.

In Hussar’s opinion, what has changed, however, is that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden are now not only united by the Baltic Sea but also by our shared membership in the European Union and NATO. “Today, we stand together, stronger than ever before, in defence of our values and freedom. We are united in supporting Ukraine, in pushing back against Russia’s aggression, so that Ukrainian refugees could return to their homes, the people of Ukraine could live in peace, and Ukraine could take its rightful place among the family of free and democratic European nations,” he said.

Hussar also underlined that in the future, the Baltic States and the Nordic Countries have to cooperate even more closely. “We must also continue to strengthen our cooperation to ensure that our people can live in peace in our countries and that none of us will ever again be forced to flee our homes in fear of a brutal enemy,” he said.

Hussar is on a joint visit of the leaders of the parliaments of the Baltic States to Gotland, where Latvia is represented on the visit by Speaker of the Saeima (Parliament) Daiga Mieriņa, and Lithuania by Deputy Speaker of the Seimas (Parliament) Žygimantas Pavilionis. Yesterday, the leaders of the Baltic parliaments were welcomed on Gotland by Speaker of the Riksdag (Parliament) of Sweden Andreas Norlén.

Today, the Speakers will visit the Baltic Center for Writers and Translators that promotes literature and cultural exchange with the Baltic Sea countries, and meet with the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian communities in Gotland. Yesterday, they had a meeting with Governor of Gotland County Anders Flanking, visited the Gotland Regiment, and participated in the wreath laying ceremony in Slite and the memorial service at Visby Cathedral.

At the turning point of the Second World War, 75,000–80,000 people fled from Estonia to the West to escape the invading Red Army. Altogether, nearly 300,000 people escaped from the Baltic States. Many of the refugees headed for Sweden, either via Finland or directly, and for many refugee ships Gotland was the first port of call. The escape reached its peak in the second half of September 1944.

Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Hussar thanked Sweden for receiving Baltic refugees on the 80th anniversary of the Great Escape

Source: Parliament of Estonia