As a Chairman of the Estonian Parliament Riigikogu I find the declarations made on 23 November 2004 by Russian Federation Duma deeply regrettable. The statement is a clear indication of the unwillingness of the Russian Federation Parliament to evaluate objectively the history of their state and the world. The end of WW II marks victory over Nazis and fascism in Europe. At the same time, we also need to reiterate that the end of the Second World War did not bring an end to the suffering of all those nations that for several decades after the war had to live under totalitarian regimes across the Central and Eastern Europe. For the Baltic nations it also included continuation of them being occupied by a totalitarian state that the USSR represented.

Hundreds of thousands of people were deported and perished as a result of the repressive actions of the Soviet regime decades after the end of WW II.All victims deserve to be remembered just as all totalitarian regimes deserve to be condemned.

The experience of the Central and Eastern Europe demonstrates that honest evaluation of the historical processes is an important precondition of a democratic state. This is a vital element in the framework of the common European values, which has opened the way to the reconciliation process.

Democratic society cannot be built upon half-truths and denials, therefore, I call upon the MP-s of the Russian Federation to give just evaluation to the crimes committed by the Soviet regime in Russia and elsewhere.

Ene Ergma

Chairman of the Riigikogu