European People's Party condemns Soviet occupation

Jun 29, 2005
By The Baltic Times

VILNIUS 's The largest political party in the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states just days after EP President Josep Borrell recalled the 65th anniversary of the annexation.

The European People's Party, a right-wing formation that has more seats that any other party in the EU's legislature, adopted the resolution on request by Lithuania's Vytautas Landsbergis, an MEP, at a joint meeting of the party's political bureau and council.

The resolution says that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were occupied by the Soviet Union on June 15 's 17, 1940, that they lost their statehood, were unlawfully incorporated into the Soviet Union and suffered an annihilation of their system of government and civil society, Landsbergis' office in Brussels has reported.

The resolution also mentions Russia's violations of post World War I peace treaties with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and other international commitments. It also condemns the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.

The European People's Party invites Russia, as successor to the Soviet Union, to join the assessment of the occupation of the Baltic states by the European Parliament and other democratic institutions.

The EPP resolution notes that Russia's admission of the historic truth, including the Soviet Union's actions against Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 1940, is the best path toward reconciliation and normalization of relations with the Baltic states.

Last week the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe asked Russia to rectify consequences of the Soviet occupation of the Baltics, including compensation of victims of deportations and their relatives.

In addition, EP President Borrell dedicated a speech to the anniversary of the 1940 annexation of the Baltics prior to a session of Parliament. Without naming anyone, he said those countries that forget their history are bound to repeat it.

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