It was a very important day -- and the idea
and implementation of such a manifestation.
Until now it was the greatest manifestation
in the world, in the longitude of 700 kilometers.
And about one and a half million of people
standing in a living chain and holding each
other’s hands.[The “Baltic Way” was
a peaceful demonstration organized on August
23, 1989, where an estimated 2 million people
formed a human chain across Estonia, Latvia,
and Lithuania to protest their countries’
subjugation to the Soviet Union.]
Sometimes it is not so clear today, because
the approaches of cooperation even with evil,
dictatorial regimes can be seen as travailing.
We are maybe in the middle of the process.
And the first of September of 1989, just after
the Baltic Way manifestation, the chancellor,
Helmut Kohl, [Helmut Kohl (1930 - ) is a German
Christian Democratic politician.
He served as chancellor from 1982 to 1998
and presided over the reunification of Germany
in 1990.]
spoke at the Bundestag [The German Parliament].
It was his famous speech, condemning the Teufelspakt
made by Hitler and Stalin, not Molotov and
Ribbentrop.
[Teufelspakt is German for “devil’s pact,”
referring to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between
the USSR and Nazi Germany that divided Central
and Eastern Europe.
Vyacheslav Molotov and Joachim von Ribbentrop
were the Soviet and Nazi foreign ministers
that negotiated the treaty.
Adolf Hitler (1889 – 1945) led Germany’s
Nazi regime between 1934 – 1945.
Josef Stalin (1878 – 1953) was General Secretary
of the Soviet Communist Party between 1922
and 1952.]
He said Hitler and Stalin, which caused the
sufferings, losses in justice to so many nations,
including [the] Baltic nations.
He named then.
And then he should be aware after the Baltic
Way manifestation.
So it could not pass unnoticed by the world.
That it is not political activism of some
groups, being for democracy and bringing problems
for some plans or the established about the
new world order promoted by Mr. Gorbachev,
in which on a price of diminishing or ceasing
of nuclear confrontation.
The Soviet Union would be assisted by its
former enemy, the democratic West assisted.
And accepted, approved in its borders, including
all annexations, all occupations, all conquests
of that longstanding continental colonial
empire, because all conquerors of all the
Russia, were on the same continent, spreading
around.
As czars used to say, "To every sea, to reach
every sea and nations were for nothing."
So there were quite a lot of what we called
illusionists in the Western political elite.
Illusionists about Soviet Union, about a possible
future of cooperation, accepting this empire
in a more softer [form].
We should know to break through that cautiousness
and limited mind about a real and possible
democratic future for all the nations, not
for themselves only.
And it was maybe the historic overall of liberation
movements in central Europe.
But also in the Baltic states, because after
the liberation of Poland and Czechoslovakia,
and East Germany [was] even allowed to join
with [West] Germany.
And the process could stop on the borders
of Soviet Union.
And what about us?
Then we had to stand up and to say, "Hey,
gentlemen.
It's not all yet."
And this way, we served not all for ourselves
only, but for all [the] nations of [the] Soviet
Union.
The window was open.
If Baltics may do it, go openly claiming that
they are nations which want to be democratic
nations in Europe, why not Ukraine?
Why not the Caucasus?
Why not Moldova?
