Baltic states: EU must do more against history reinterpretation
The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, along with Poland and Romania, have called on the EU to to oppose Russian reinterpretations and distortions of history. In a joint letter published on Friday, the five Central Eastern European countries also called on the EU institutions to to take a leadership role in preserving historical memory and prevent the manipulation of facts.
“Russia has never condemned the crimes of the Soviets, and its current leadership tolerates and even enthusiastically supports the Soviet legacy. It is necessary to step up efforts at EU level to counter Russia’s attempts to rewrite history and use the narratives of totalitarian regimes in the context of the war against Ukraine.”the letter said. “Legal, political and awareness-raising instruments” should be used for this purpose.
Unlike the atrocities of the National Socialists, the memory and knowledge of Soviet crimes have yet to find their place in European consciousness. “Without an accurate, honest and comprehensive assessment of the past, we will not be able to effectively prevent future crimes on our continent or investigate the current ones in Ukraine,” it said in the letter from the five heads of state and government.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were alternately occupied by the Soviet Union and Germany during World War II. After the end of the war, the three Baltic states remained involuntarily part of the Soviet Union until 1991. (dpa)
