On June 14, President Edgars Rinkēvičs participated in the commemorative events for the Victims of Communist Genocide at Gulbene railway station, laid flowers at the monument 'To the Gulbene Parish Members Who Fell for Latvia’s Freedom,' and attended a remembrance ceremony at the memorial site for Latvian Army soldiers in Litene Cemetery.
Address by President Edgars Rinkēvičs at the Commemoration of the victims of communist genocide on 14 June at Gulbene railway station:
"Honourable Chairman of the Council!
Honourable Commander of the National Armed Forces!
Honoured survivors of repression, distinguished guests, soldiers of the National Armed Forces, and members of the National Guard!
Today, across Latvia – here in Gulbene, in Riga, in Kurzeme, and other regions of our country – we mark, with sorrow, sadness, but also with a certain determination, 85 years since the communist genocide, when countless families – men and women, children and the elderly – were forcibly taken from their homes, brought to railway stations, loaded into cattle wagons, and deported to Siberia. Many never returned. Many perished along the way. Many were killed by Stalin’s regime. There is scarcely a family or lineage in Latvia that does not carry a story from that time – a story of repression, a story of loved ones who were taken away and never came back. And those who did return continue to remind us of those years and of the harsh fate endured by so many.
Here in Gulbene, we honour those who were deported. Yet not far from here, in Litene, the Latvian Army, its backbone – officers, instructors, and soldiers – was also destroyed. Stalin’s regime understood too well that a nation can be destroyed only if its finest people are destroyed – soldiers, entrepreneurs, intelligentsia, clergy, or ordinary hardworking citizens. But it did not succeed. It did not succeed because we proved more resilient. It did not succeed because we fought for our independence during the Latvian War of Independence of 1918–1920. And it will not succeed so long as we keep alive the memory of those who were deported and those who lost their lives, so long as we share their stories and continue to strengthen the resilience of our nation and our state.
That is the message I would like to leave with all of us today, especially as dark clouds gather again beyond our borders. War is being waged not far from our country. The courageous people of Ukraine are fighting against Russia, against the heirs of Stalin, against the heirs of that regime. In many respects, they are fighting for us as well, so that a day like 14 June may never be repeated.
I would like to express my gratitude to the survivors of repression, journalists, historians, and representatives of the film industry who preserve and record these stories, reminding us of those times and strengthening us, because only through memories, through these conversations, we can become stronger. Thank you!
Let us strengthen Latvia. Let us strengthen our country – not only on days of remembrance, but every day!"
