Written declaration No. 459 | Doc. 12399 | 07 October 2010

50th Anniversary of the Parliamentary Assembly Resolution condemning the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States

Signatories: Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Mr Remigijus AČAS, Lithuania, EDG ; Mr Ryszard BENDER, Poland, EDG ; Mr Mustafa DZHEMILIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Valeriu GHILETCHI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Mr Andreas GROSS, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Ana GUŢU, Republic of Moldova, ALDE ; Mr Andres HERKEL, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Mr Joachim HÖRSTER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Ms Birgen KELEŞ, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Göran LINDBLAD, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Aleksei LOTMAN, Estonia, UEL ; Mr Denis MacSHANE, United Kingdom ; Mr Gebhard NEGELE, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Mr Aleksandar NIKOLOSKI, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', EPP/CD ; Ms Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ, Croatia, EPP/CD ; Mr Leander SCHÄDLER, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Mr Latchezar TOSHEV, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Ms Birutė VĖSAITĖ, Lithuania, SOC ; Mr Jordi XUCLÀ, Spain, ALDE ; Mr Roman ZVARYCH, Ukraine, EPP/CD

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

50 years ago the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted Resolution 189 (1960) on the situation in the Baltic States on the twentieth anniversary of their forcible incorporation into the Soviet Union. The Resolution was initiated by the Members of the Non-represented Nations Committee of the Assembly, Ms Marie Antoinette von Lowzow, Danish MP, being appointed as a rapporteur.

The Resolution was permeated with the hope that Soviet communist oppression and occupation would not succeed in crushing the Baltic spirit and faith in freedom and democracy and expressed the Assembly’s anticipation that the time would come when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would be able to play their part as free nations in democratic international institutions. Adopted half a century ago, this political document was the united European response to the brutal Soviet occupation and annexation.

The historic experience of the three Baltic States and other countries behind the Iron Curtain clearly shows that peace, freedom and democracy cannot be taken for granted. Having gained their independence two decades ago, these countries have come to the point of expressing deep appreciation and sincere gratitude to former politicians who had not forgotten their fellow Europeans, who were supporting and standing for the statehood and political independence of these countries.