NordenBladet — Head of the Estonian delegation to the Baltic Assembly, Chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Aadu Must and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Enn Eesmaa attend the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way in Riga.
“The Baltic Way, whose 30th anniversary we are celebrating today, was a wonderful thing! It changed every one of us, as well as the world around us,” Must said. “It made us all understand that our three nations – Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians – are not alone in their desire for freedom, and that together we are much, much stronger. The world also learned that the freedom of the three Baltic states was something everyone in our countries desired. People in different countries of the world sympathised with the Baltic Way,”
Must emphasised that the values of the Baltic Way were carried forward among others by the Baltic Assembly, which united the three Baltic Parliaments, because there was more energy in doing things together and it gave better result.
Eesmaa recalled that 30 years ago the people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania stood side by side and hand in hand, forming a human chain from Tallinn to Vilnius. “The striving for freedom and right to self-determination of the three nations and their belief in democracy bore fruit,” said Eesmaa.
In Eesmaa’s opinion, this is a living memory of the past, and we will never forget the support of the international community to the Baltic States. “Now we are ready to share our experience with those who are about to make or have already made similar decisions on the development of their countries,” Eesmaa said, keeping in mind first of all the Eastern Partnership countries Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
The members of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly and the Prime Ministers of the Baltic States meet in Latvia today. A festive ceremony will be held at the Freedom Monument in Riga, an exhibition on the Baltic Way can be viewed at the Freedom Square, and a room dedicated to the Baltic Way will be opened in the Latvian Parliament. The evening will culminate in a concert, where essays by Winners of the Baltic Assembly Prize in Literature Māris Bērziņš (Latvia), Hasso Krull (Estonia) and Vladas Bražiūnas (Lithuania) will be read out.
Source: Parliament of Estonia