Baltic and Polish presidents express concern regarding historical revisionism in Russia and possible closure of Memorial

RIGA - Presidents of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland said in a statement that they were concerned regarding historical revisionism in Russia and specifically the possible closure of Memorial.

Memorial is one of the oldest independent organizations involved in defending human rights in Russia and documenting Stalinist crimes across the whole former Soviet area, the four presidents emphasized.

"We greatly appreciate the dedication and determination of Memorial staff to commemorate the victims of Soviet crimes perpetrated against the Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian nations, as well as against millions of Russians, Ukrainians and people of other nationalities. We are full of admiration for the work of Russian citizens who are ready to tell the whole truth about an inconvenient history and human rights violations committed by totalitarian regimes. This work is an important contribution to the European collective memory," reads the statement.

The presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland have agreed to strengthen cooperation in fighting the falsification of history, disinformation and historical revisionism. "We will stand together to ensure historical remembrance of the crimes committed by totalitarian regimes," the presidents said.