Red Statues – Position in Negotiations
This post is also available in: Lithuanian Russian
The 9th of May is the day of victory in the Second World War for
Russia. For Lithuania, as well as for other Baltic countries, this date
means something totally different. That is the beginning of the
occupation. Occupation, which itself is a negative action, because the
nation loses its sovereignty, the opportunity to rule its country,
while it is taken by the government of other state.
We perfectly know about the widely spread myth of the Great War propagated by Russia. However the truth is that at that date one regime just changed the other. Talking about liberation is not only false, but would mean the disrespect for our parents and grand parents who suffered the Russian occupation.
Nationalists, who are trying to deny this absurd myth gathered near the Russian embassy and demanded that Moscow would recognize the crimes by the communist regime and would compensate this damage. Not only in Estonia, but also in Lithuania, the reaction to the victory day, which is celebrated in Russia, was cruel. This time it was expressed with the vandal act on the Green Bridge. The statues which are standing there and praising the soviet times were splashed with the red paint. The poster with the words “communist whore” and red swastikas was hanged on them. Finally the imitation of the bomb was left there, so the traffic through the bridge had to be closed down temporarily.
Such incident only proves that the past is not forgotten. Fascism and communism are not history described in the school books, but also have the potential to break in to our days. Obviously, that was the crime. However for me, as the conscious citizen it raises more questions. Why 18 years after regaining the independence these statues are still standing in the centre of Vilnius? Are they still there only because the lack of money? Did someone tried to please somebody? Usually, after the revolution or a war the images or symbols which gave a sense to a regime, are ruined on purpose to build the future of the state on new foundations. After all, these statues reflected the dominating ideology in the Soviet Union.
The ideology, as the standardized system, intended to manipulate the mindset and actions of people. After declaring the independence other sculptures were taken down and brought to the storehouses. So why these statues left untouched? The communist ideology is not propagated in Lithuania anymore, so they should not be exhibited, especially in the centre of the capital.
Maybe, one just tried to avoid the turmoil, which took place in Estonia in 2007, when the statue of Soviet soldier was taken down? If so, does this position mean that the easiest way was chosen? It leads us to other difficult topics, as the question of the compensation of the damage to the Baltic countries brought by Soviet Union.
What are Lithuanian diplomats doing in the negotiations on the compensation of this damage? The minister of Foreign affairs Petras Vaitiekūnas urged on the constuctive negotiation instead of ultimatums and legal intruments already in 2007. Also, he prompted Russia not to be identified with USSR, although it took all the rights and responsibilities of fallen empire. By then such tactics brough many doubts among the members of Lithuanian Parliament. Now they are trying to raise the question of compensation of the damage in international forums, looking for the attention of European states and going for higher flexibility of Russia when tackling this question.
As a result, the leaders of diplomatic bodies of four EU countries gathered in Lithuanian capital. Vilnius made a decision. The government withdrew its veto from the negotiations of Brussels and Moscow on EU-Russia cooperation agreement. It means that EU can start the negotiations with Russia. In this case Lithuania reached a settlement with some EU countries, that energy, the cases of 13th of January, and Medininkai, the compensation of the damage for individuals, who were deported from Baltic countries, and also solving frozen conflicts in Georgia and Moldova would be included into mandate. Maybe such decision and chosen strategy would move these questions and finally the negotiation will start.
However, these negotiations are not easy. Only Russia getting conscious and its growing ability to evaluate the past would make an impulse to the solving of these difficult questions possible.
Asta Grigalavičiūtė
Photos by Donatas Babenskas Fotogalerija
Translated by Dionizas Bajarūnas
on 21-05-2008 By Indre - Public comments
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Comments
The author of this article doesn't know the facts of history.
The 9-th May is not the day of beginning of occupation because the Baltic states (Litva, Latvia and Estonia) joined to USSR in the 1940, not in the 1945. There was made all regolar requests, documents and acts. Some scientists call this joining as annexation, but it wasn't absolutly occupation. There were 2 socialist revolution in the Baltic states, theese was very poor states like Russia was, there was the hard profascist dictatorship - that's why the Baltic people wanted to create communism/socialism in their countries. The dictatorship of local presidents in the Baltic states was bad, but the new soviet dictatorship was bad too. The first repression of LOCAL NATIONAL SOVIET GOVERNMENT (all local persons and not russians) was made in the 1941 after joining - it was organized by local national soviet government with aim to eleminate the possible political rivals and to revenge some personal enemy.
In the 1945 the Baltic states was a part of USSR in according of joint acts of 1941. In the 1945 the local governments didn't asked to leave from USSR. That's why it's not right to use the word "occupation" - it's speculation and lie (that provoke high tension in the society). The Baltic states can only accuse own's dictator governments about their behavour and decision in the 1939-1990.
We all remember that Hitler has defined the Baltic nations like "parasitic race", which havn't right to live. Without help of soviet army the Baltic nations couldn't exist more. The victory above nazism and fascism is very important for all world and the soviet soldats, soviet people had contributed a lot for this victory. Some lituanians, latvians and estonians took a part in the Second World War in the Hitler Vaffen SS groups like a voluntary - this is a great shame in the history of the Baltic states and it can't be a reason to glorify the members of Vaffen SS.
The repressions of the soviet time was organized and completed by local governments, made from local people and not from russians. By first the governments of Baltic states must try and punish the local criminals and only after that it will possible to ask something from Russia, for example to punish some russian criminal who collaborated in the crimes with the local criminals.
The asking of the damages from Russia is not very coherent action, because the criminal actions and repression was comitted by local governments and not by russians.The Baltic states received a lot of help from USSR for own's development. And the treaties of 1920 are the accordings with russian illegal bolsheviks - bandits, who was waring against legal russian government. The counts mayby will be pro Russia and the Baltic states will be obbliged to pay a bill...
Statues question. The statues remember about harm of dictatorship, about crimes of local government in the soviet time, about value of referendum and democracy, about European values and about crimes of nazifascism. The statues disturb only psycos and criminals of war or communism times - who must go to the mental hospital or in the gail. Mentally sane people havn't aggression against theese statues. A lot of members of today's governments of Baltic states are the ex communist - that's why they remember own crimes when see theese statues... The politics of Baltics states with statues is oriented to provoke a new war - between European Union and Russia or Nato and Russia.
In Estonia began the process against one criminal of communist times - Arnold Meri, why another Baltic countries don't search to punish their criminals???
The governments of Estonia and Lativa glorify nazifascist criminals and have organized the policy of aparthaid, segregation, discrimination and assimilation of local russianspeaking citizens instead to punish real criminals of communist times - local estonians, latvians or lithuanians.
The russianspeakings of Baltic states, one part of them the victims of communism, have asked help from European Union to finish the grave violation of human rights in Baltic states, Tatjana Zdanok have done it too - but nothing changed. Now the finland journalist LEENA HIETANEN have written a book about apartheid in Estonia.
The communism was a heavy time (repressions, persecutions, censorship, impossibility to express own opinion), but there was greate results too (social wellbeing, educational sistem, helthcare sistem, cultural development, high quality foods). The todays level of life in the Baltic states returned to 1930-1939 poverty, hunger, the people are unhappy, there are persecution like in the soviet time. The new problems are: segregation and disctimination of russianspeakings, propaganda of local languages as a highest and superior languages, drug dealing, high criminality and violence, paedophily, trafficing of the children and human organs...
One impartial person see all sides of communism: negative and positive. The positive experienced can be useful for all European Union for risolving the grave social problems of our times. Deny the positive results is a pathological maniacal hysteria only.
The Baltic states governments have accepted some ideology form Hitler ideas (to repress russianspeakings) and the communist ideology and the communist methods to rule the country.
I'd like to invite the author of article to study history and to estimate coherently the current situation with aim to uderstund that the war and aggression against the statues is only shame action without some value. The criminals who damage the statue must go to gail and pay the damage to the state. The only right way to decide about statues is a referendum of all citiezens of the country.
And the 9-th May is important day for all conscious citizens of Baltic states, it's a day of victory against nazifascism. The extremist and hysterical opinion is not opinion of people - people appreciate the Uuropeans and humans values.
Helga Nukk
helga.nukk@gmail.com
Dear Helga Nukk,
I must aware you that as soon as secret pacts of Molotov Ribbentrop (1939) were publicized, the 9th of May, 1940 is estimated as occupation of Baltic countries. It is fixed even in the Lithuanian- Russian treaty in 1991. So there's no point to discuss it.
Hello Nukk,
The authors never said anything about who splashed the paint...
They only said:
Not only in Estonia, but also in Lithuania, the reaction to the victory day, which is celebrated in Russia, was cruel. This time it was expressed with the vandal act on the Green Bridge.
And you are telling us:
"The politics of Baltics states with statues is oriented to provoke a new war - between European Union and Russia or Nato and Russia."
and completely oposite in the same paragraph:
"The statues disturb only psycos and criminals of war or communism times - who must go to the mental hospital or in the gail. Mentally sane people havn't aggression against theese statues."
If it is deliberate, - what you are doing, you should be considered as organized crime. However nobody would believe that, when you are giving facts without any logic...
and you are repeatedly scribbling the same everywhere.. So.. good luck in your research Nukk, встате is Kukk also the member of dozor?
I was in Tallinn when they moved that statue. They had to do it very quickly, in a state of emergency and under threat. Under threat? Totally. Under threat. Propaganda works and Russia is currently very good it it. But... It was a simple situation really, and the Estonian police handled it perfectly.
People are free to protest peacefully but if they engage in criminal activities, such a drinking booze in public, carrying weapons, verbally threatening the safety of others, or any kind of hooliganism then they are simply to be arrested and heavily fined. It is not an ethnic or historic matter at all; it is a criminal matter.
Police were brought in to Tallinn from all over Estonia and it was, for all practical purposes a bilingual united force on the ground, working for a common goal - truly something that united the country more than divided it. About 1/3rd of the rioters spoke Estonian as their mother tounge. No ethnic divisions were seen in the eyes of the police force. It was simple and efficient on that second night. The criminals were ziptied, taken to the Tallinn Sadam, and then given massive financial penalties to pay for some of the damage done.
I think vandalism is criminal in Lithuania, isn´t it?
Dear author,
Please next time check historical facts before writing, was very disappointed to find such immature article here.
I have been living in the countryside (10 months) in Lithuania ,originally from UK,I am also an Actor and fine Artists.I have been asked a lot of questions like,Who am I ? What I am doing here ? Do you have any friends in Lithuania ? instead of Welcome to Lithuania !!!! I answer back in a modest way,Which is that I am exercising my freedom of rights to travel within the EU.Which then it makes them think,that they are in the EU now.I believe a lot of people are not used to the full freedom inside their mindset.I read with interest the article above,of the Russian occupation and subsequent sufferings and damage causings for few years.This is a great country and also its people.
Talking about liberation is not only false, but would mean the disrespect for our parents and grand parents who suffered the Russian occupation.
je suis daccord!! :)
c clair et net les amis!
la vie change chaque seconde ouiiiii:)
parfois faut faire attention
et pourquoi ne pas refaire ca une fois encore
faut surtout respecter ses idees
seulement ceux qui vivent ca peuvent savoir combien c difficile
lavenir est prometteur dans ce domaine :)
une idee parmis autres
c pas si difficile que ca non?!!
Statues question. Les statues de rappeler au sujet de méfaits de la dictature, sur les crimes de l'administration locale à l'époque soviétique, sur la valeur de référendum et la démocratie, sur les valeurs européennes et sur les infractions de nazifascism. Les statues troubler psycos seulement et les criminels de guerre ou de communisme fois - qui doit se rendre à l'hôpital psychiatrique ou dans la Gail. Les personnes mentalement saine agressivité havn't contre ces statues. Beaucoup de membres des gouvernements actuels des États baltes sont les ex-communistes - c'est pourquoi ils se souviennent propres crimes quand voir ces statues ... La politique des Etats baltes avec des statues est orienté à provoquer une nouvelle guerre - entre l'Union européenne et la Russie ou de l'Otan et la Russie.
It is very funny, if I may say so : four countries depict a same polish characteristic through their analysis : the importance of religion in Poland. But it is not very easy to make the difference between a simple feature and a critic...
la vie change chaque seconde ouiiiii:)