West’s political agenda should include assessment of communist crimes – Lithuanian speaker

VILNIUS – History cannot be rewritten as it is something to learn from, Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania has said adding that the assessment of communist crimes should appear on the political agenda of the West.

“Blunt blackmailing, aggressive pressure, the policy of ultimatums coming from the imperial East is still alive. It is still necessary to choose: to manoeuver, look for neutrality and fictitious compromises or to oppose force with mobilization, resolve and adequate force – our own and our allies and partners,” Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen said during the commemoration of the Day of Mourning and Hope at the Seimas.

“Ukraine is an eloquent example. It faces the same rhetoric of demands and ultimatums, the same ideology of “the collection of lands”, the same military aggression,” she stressed.

Lithuania knew from its history that ultimatums were followed by aggression, Cmilyte-Nielsen stated.

“June 15 is always followed by June 14. It may not come immediately, but it will come necessarily if you start to manoeuver and make concessions,” the parliamentary speaker said speaking about the day of Lithuania’s occupation on June 15, 1940, and mass deportations that began on June 14, 1941.

Being aware of its history, Lithuania should help Europe “shake off dependence on the interpretation of Europe’s XX century history, the causes and consequences of the World War II  being touted by Kremlin“, she pointed out.

“Today, Kremlin once again uses this interpretation, full of unfounded accusations, cynical and outrageous attitude and shameless labelling, to justify its aggression against neighboring countries,” Cmilyte-Nielsen said.

“It is therefore important for the assessment of crimes committed by the totalitarian communist regime to become an integral part of the Western world’s political agenda as the fight against disinformation and hybrid war,” she added.

The speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas stressed that victims of the past occupation among Lithuanian people made it imperative to remain vigilant and help others act the same.

Lithuania on Tuesday marks the Day of Mourning and Hope – 81 years ago the Soviets started mass deportations of Lithuanian residents into remote areas of the Soviet Union after the Baltic country's occupation.

Soviet repressive structures started mass deportations of Lithuanian residents into remote northern areas at 3 a.m. on June 14, 1941.

Some 18,000 Lithuanian residents were deported over the course of several days, according to the Genocide and Resistance Research Center of Lithuania.

The Soviet Union occupied Lithuania on June 15, 1940 and imprisoned and deported some 280,000 Lithuanian citizens over the occupation period.