Eiki Nestor planted a tree for Baltic solidarity
Eiki Nestor planted a tree for Baltic solidarity
On Saturday, the Presidents of the three Baltic parliaments simultaneously planted trees next to their parliaments to symbolise the Baltic solidarity and to serve as a memorial to the Baltic Way which took place 25 years ago.
The President of the Riigikogu Eiki Nestor planted the tree in a park close to the Kiek in de Kök museum.
“The Baltic Way was a powerful political event by which the three Baltic states announced to the world that they longed to be free,” Nestor said.
Nestor added that the Baltic Way was the largest joint action in the history of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, with about two million people joining hands to form a human chain nearly 600 kilometres long.
The Lithuanian Ambassador Neilas Tankevicius and the Consul of the Latvian Embassy Matiss Ranka were also present at the tree planting ceremony.
After the tree had been planted, a memorial ceremony took place in Lindamäe Park to commemorate the victims of Communism and Nazism. Eiki Nestor laid a wreath at the Linda Stone memorial on behalf of the Estonian people.
23 August is the 75th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact which created the basis for the annexation and occupation of independent nations. This triggered a chain of events which led to a huge number of crimes being committed in the name of Communism and Nazism.
The Baltic Way was organised to commemorate the victims of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and to express the longing of the three Baltic states to regain their freedom and independence. The Baltic Way was entered in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2009 as an influential peaceful action.
The Riigikogu Press Service
