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The Baltic States and the Czech Republic share a similar history of Soviet oppression and occupation and later that of re-gaining freedom from tyranny. This is why we understand how wrong Putin’s war is, and we stand shoulder to shoulder in our support for Ukraine. We who have lived under oppression know how difficult it is to fight for freedom. But we can win, said Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, on Wednesday, 30 March in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, during her address in the conference in honour of the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Baltic States and the Czech Republic.

“Unfortunately, peace in Europe no longer exists. Putin has destroyed the security order we had all been building. We take the threat seriously. We must be prepared to defend our territories, and we need to maintain the unity we have shown so far in our support for Ukraine,” said the Speaker of the Saeima.

Speaker Mūrniece highlighted that a few days before the conference, the speakers of the Baltic States had visited Kyiv and saw what Ukrainians were going through. It is our duty to help them, providing military, humanitarian and economic support. Speaker Mūrniece stressed that the European Union should find a way to quickly respond to Ukraine’s request to accept it as a member state.

On the fight against communism in the Eastern Bloc, Speaker Mūrniece mentioned Charter 77, drawn up in 1977 by Czechoslovakian dissidents, including Václav Havel, which demanded the communist regime to respect human rights. “It was a pivotal moment in the entire Eastern Bloc, and echoes of the Prague Spring also reached the Baltic States. In August 1979, the Baltic dissidents signed the Baltic Charter, which demanded the right for the Baltic peoples to decide their own fate. Charter 77 and the Baltic Charter are both stories of brave people, and they encourage us again,” said Ināra Mūrniece.

The Speaker of the Saeima emphasised that in Russia, where people’s minds are paralysed by propaganda and fear, there are a few brave people that raise their voices against the lies of a tyrant. Their courage gives hope that we might witness an end to this horror, said Speaker Mūrniece.

The Speaker of the Saeima is currently on a working visit to the Czech Republic together with the speakers of the parliaments of Lithuania and Estonia.

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Saeima Press Service