Dear participants – politically repressed persons, their relatives, supporters,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I
I am truly pleased to be able to be here with you today, to hear and listen to your ideas and opinions.
Two years have already passed since our last meeting. Last year we could not meet in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today, we can be together again, as we have in previous conventions. I am certain that all of us greatly appreciate the opportunity to meet with each other face to face, be close to one another and speak without the agency of a screen or telephone.
II
Our people, who were politically repressed by the occupation power, hold a special significance within the fate of the Latvian nation. Enduring a path of suffering and challenges, the politically repressed carried on unbroken our nation’s desire for a state of its own and the idea of Latvia as such.
For statehood to exist, it requires continuity of values throughout generations of the nation, its historical memory and future efforts.
That is precisely why the occupation power was so ruthless towards you, your parents and grandparents – it aimed to cut these generational ties and deprive future generations of their state.
Families destroyed, homes, childhoods and youth stolen, the broken fates of those who returned – the occupation power was inhuman to you, as the values and belief in Latvia that you and your kin held dear constituted a threat to the occupation plans.
III
Yet, despite it all, you managed to return and preserve memories of the independent Latvia, the true history of our people.
Your stories, the family heirlooms you kept, and your testimony of happier times were of crucial importance in maintaining the historical memory of the nation throughout the years of occupation, while a falsified history was propagated at schools, in the media and society and people were forced to disown the state of Latvia.
The successful restoration of independence 30 years ago and our return to Europe as a stable European democracy was facilitated by the values, history and the experience of independence kept alive in national memory.
The politically repressed had maintained all of this within their families, among their friends and loved ones and managed to pass it on to the next generations. And we all needed it – so that today, 30 years after restoring our independence, we could be a secure and successful, independent democratic state.
I sincerely hope that, looking back at that time, you feel satisfied with what you have achieved and for your special, utterly unique contribution to the existence of Latvia.
Thank you all for living in the name of Latvia!
IV
30 years after the restoration of independence we are again encountering intentional falsification of history, a romanticising of the occupation and deliberate dissemination of falsehoods which the generations that have not experienced the Soviet occupation regime often fall for.
Therefore we must focus on strengthening the historical memory of the Latvian nation, studying our history carefully and educating society about our past.
It must be said that over the course of the last 30 years, history has not been a priority. Yet a lot has been achieved thanks to the patriotism enthusiasm, national and civic steadfastness and activity of individuals.
I am pleased that together we may be able to gradually change the situation and gain greater state support for historical research. This is one of my priorities – to strengthen our national historical memory and raise our awareness of the importance of history in the successful existence of the state of Latvia.
V
In this regard, it is especially crucial for all of us together to emphasise the national resistance movement which lived on throughout the years of occupation and constantly and tirelessly upheld the idea of Latvia and our desire to have a state of our own.
We were not merely helpless victims in the fight for our state. Under those circumstances, in the face of the predominance of the occupation power, you, your parents and grandparents remained unbroken, carrying forth the idea of Latvia and eventually restoring our independence.
Latvia exists today, and that means that our national resistance movement has won the fight for a state of our own.
The Saeima has supported my proposal to declare National Resistance Movement Day on 17 March, and I urge society at large to take this day to remember our heroes, honour their memory and pass on to the next generations stories of these past times.
Your participation and involvement would be of great importance here, as you are the ones among us who are direct witnesses of those times. Future generations need your memories and stories so that your experiences can be preserved within national historical memory never to be forgotten.
VI
It is slightly odd, that even 30 years after restoring independence issues pertaining to the restoration of historical justice are still outstanding and unresolved. Due to legal formalism and lack of understanding history victims of the occupation regimes have not received justice even after the restoration of independence.
In response to specific cases I have called on the legislature to seek means to prevent such wrongs and find solutions to restore justice.
Likewise, I expect amendments to the Law on Determining the Status of a Politically Repressed Person to be quickly adopted by the Saeima, as soon as during the upcoming autumn session, which would allow the parliament itself to grant this status to people who have been repressed by the occupation regimes, but who have somehow fallen through the cracks of laws or bureaucracy.
These are small steps that should have been taken long ago, and the delay of which has created new pain and a sense of injustice. Today, all of us together need to try to restore historical justice not only in words and on paper, but for individual people and individual fates as much as we can.
VII
Dear friends,
In conclusion allow me to reiterate an idea that I have expressed time to time for about 20 years now and which I am certain that you will understand.
The idea is a respectable, expressive, artistic, and emotionally valuable memorial for the resistance movement.
I see such memorials in other states which honour their freedom fighters, and victims of occupation powers, wars, and dictatorships.
These are sacred sites for these nations reminding them of tragic times and fates and helping them understand that today’s freedom must not be taken for granted, that it has been fought for and it must be defended still today.
An example of this is the impressive Estonian Victims of Communism Memorial in Tallinn, which is engraved with the names of the victims. Some of you may have been there, for those who haven’t – I suggest you go. Another example I can mention is the Yad Vashem centre in Jerusalem, as well as many other similar memorials.
Of course, we have many local, well-kept and maintained memorial sites that have been restored or created after the restoration of independence, many of them the result of your patriotic activity. This is very good.
Yet we still lack a national level memorial to the 50 years of resistance, which would be comparable to the Freedom Monument, but symbolising the Latvian resistance movement, our desire for our own state and honouring the victims of 50 years of occupation.
Meanwhile, a monument to the occupants still stands erect in Pārdaugava, symbolising that time from the occupants’ perspective. It seems that the Riga City Council may have finally built up the courage to at least set up an explanatory information stand at this site.
What I propose is this: the national level memorial site could be located opposite the occupants’ memorial – on the other side of Bāriņu Street, across the tram tracks.
The occupants’ memorial should not be taken down. It is part of our grim history. It cannot be erased. You have witnessed this history. But the free and democratic Latvia needs to examine this period of occupation within our history. It needs to be seen as a contrast to today.
And that is why I believe that the best spot for a strong memorial to the resistance movement would be opposite the occupants’ memorial thus creating a political and artistic dialogue with the memorial left behind by the occupation power.
This would be a memorial site symbolising the desire of the Latvian nation to resist the occupation, remember our victims and, most importantly, symbolising the victory of Latvia – our victory over the occupants, the victory of freedom and democracy.
Moreover, this memorial certainly must hold the names of the victims of the Soviet occupation. These names are known. Each person leaves behind their name. These names must burn forever in our national memory.
VIII
Dear compatriots,
Thank you for your civic activity and sense of responsibility towards Latvia!
I wish you strong health and endurance, especially considering the current pandemic!
Take care of yourselves and urge your loved ones to be careful as well and take advantage of the widely accessible opportunities to vaccinate.
I hope that today's convention will bring you joy of coming together and many, many positive emotions.
Thank you!