Today marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. It was a moment, which, with the capitulation of Nazi Germany, resulted in the full restoration of freedom and democracy for the majority of Western nations. For Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, it marked the beginning of new tyranny. Imposed by the boots of the occupying army of the Stalinist totalitarian empire, the Soviet Union. We endured nearly fifty years of occupation and lawlessness imposed by the Stalinist regime. We were erased from the map of Europe. Therefore, we must not erase the memory of occupation, violence, deportations, and persecution inflicted upon the Baltic states by both Nazi Germany and the Stalinist regime of the Soviet Union.
Many European countries only regained and fully restored their national freedom in the last decade of the 20th century. Yet the 21st century has not brought peace to Europe. For the successor of the Soviet Union – the Russian Federation – the freedom, independence, democracy, and peace of other nations are not values to be respected. The war initiated and escalated by Russia against Ukraine is a stark testament to this. For over three years, the entire democratic world has witnessed to the atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine. For over three years, Russia has sown destruction, tyranny, and fear using Stalinist methods. It seeks to rewrite both its own history and that of Europe by selectively revising the past, manipulating our shared European history, our collective memory, and the values of democratic states.
On the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, it is important, particularly for the younger generation, to remember and raise awareness of what transpired. This is crucial to preventing the resurgence of totalitarian ideologies in Europe or elsewhere in the world. We cannot not allow the justification of the crimes of Nazism or Communism, nor the expression of anti-Semitism in any of its forms.
Today, we pay tribute to all those who fought against and defeated Nazism. I invite everyone to remember and honour the many millions of victims whose lives were erased in the effort to stop the scourge of both criminal regimes – Nazism and Stalinism – from spreading across the world. This is of utmost importance for the sake of future generations.