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“In their hearts, many Latvians cradled a dream of their own country, an independent Latvia, long before the proclamation of the Latvian state. Latvians and all the Baltic people cherished the dream of freedom all through the tragic years of the Soviet occupation. By joining hands in the Baltic Way, our three nations distinctly marked a historic breaking point, showing that our fortitude would bring down the totalitarian Soviet occupation regime,” said Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Chair of the Latvian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), on Thursday, 30 January, in Strasbourg, at the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way. The event also commemorated the 25th anniversary of Latvia’s membership in the Council of Europe.

In her address, Lībiņa-Egnere noted that by participating in the Baltic Way thirty years ago, the people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania demonstrated the desire for independence and joint commitment to the return to Europe to be our true will.

Furthermore, the Baltic States joined the Council of Europe 25 years ago to protect and promote human rights, democracy and justice so that no country would have to repeat the past experience of our nations, stated the Chair of the Latvian delegation to PACE, emphasising that the Baltic States feel responsible for the values of the Council of Europe.

Lībiņa-Egnere noted that last June, following the restoration of the voting rights of the Russian delegation to PACE, the Baltic+ Group, an informal parliamentary group representing like-minded countries, was established to ensure the protection of the values, principles and integrity of the Council of Europe.

“We believe that concerted action of the Baltic+ Group will raise awareness about the mission of the Council of Europe and remind that powerful nations can achieve unbelievable results if they take a common position,” affirmed Lībiņa-Egnere.

Today, a photo exhibition, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way, was opened at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg, where a PACE session is currently taking place. The exhibition displays 25 photographs illustrating the unique act of nonviolent resistance that united more than two million people of the Baltics.

In this session of PACE, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Chair of the Latvian delegation, was elected the Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly.

PACE is a statutory organ of the Council of Europe which deals with issues such as protecting human rights, pluralistic democracy and the rule of law, promoting the awareness and development of European cultural identity and its diversity, solving of social issues in Europe, as well as strengthening the stability of democracy by supporting political, legislative and constitutional reforms.

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Saeima Press Service