Dear Compatriots, Friends, and Baltic People,
I
The Baltic Way was a manifestation of the will of the state of our three Baltic nations. It was an incredible daring attracting the attention of the whole world.
All the people in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania joined the Baltic Way for freedom and national independence. We did not ask for freedom as a gift, we took freedom with confidence in our righteousness.
II
Everyone who has been on the Baltic Way can pinpoint the exact place even today where they stood and the peers of one destiny with whom they demanded a better future for the Baltics.
I remember very well that I was here then, at the Freedom Monument, along with everyone on our Baltic Way. Everyone stood in their own sections, not knowing yet whether the whole chain had locked in a single handshake, but relying on each other that it would definitely succeed.
Only over time, we did realise that our involvement in the Baltic Way was a historic and unique event that changed the global political order and map of the world.
III
I would like to call on everyone to preserve their memories and testimonies of the Baltic Way, to tell children and grandchildren of our strength and belief.
I am sure that today the young generation is proud to know that their parents and grandparents had joined the Baltic Way for the opportunity of future generations to fulfil their dreams.
Thank you to everyone who joined the Baltic Way then, organised it, and provided everything necessary for the Baltic Way to succeed and resonate around the world.
Thank you to our independence movements, the Rahvarinne in Estonia, the Tautas Fronte in Latvia, and the Sajūdis in Lithuania, for their ability to realise the idea of Baltic Way, and especially to the regional divisions that made sure that the human chain was uninterrupted consisting of people with their hands joined along every kilometre from Tallinn to Vilnius.
IV
Thirty years ago, we went out on the Baltic Way, and we regained our independence and freedom for everyone together with Estonia and Lithuania. We re-melted the Iron Curtain into a democratic and united Europe and are building a secure and peaceful future for our peoples.
History evolves, and we create the future together. Our shared Baltic Way will never end.
The Baltic Way has made the historical shared destiny of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania obvious symbolically. Our common history, our common experiences, and our dreams have brought us closer together and shaped the Baltic space where we feel and understand each other so well.
Nevertheless, the Baltic Way is also a foretoken of our future.
V
The Baltic Way inspires all of us to shape our homes as modern and sustainable Northern European countries.
The Baltic Way always reminds us that our future is a highly developed and democratic country. The Baltics is an integral part of the West and Europe. That is what we asked for at the time, and it has now come true.
The Baltic Way invites us to be forward-thinking and contribute actively to identifying and offering solutions both to our domestic issues and to European and global issues. We possess the necessary experience and creativity in the Baltics to insist on what we consider be right and to be able to solve European and global challenges. Environmental protection, modern technologies, and other issues such as further development of democracy are just some of the issues where we have something to tell, and we could offer our proposals to the world and Europe.
The Baltic Way encourages us to strengthen and deepen our close ties with our friends in the Baltic States, Europe, and around the world not only in economics or foreign policy, but also in culture, education, and spiritual richness. Together we must grow in our spirit and our knowledge, undertake more responsibility for further growth and improvement of our country, and for solving European and global issues. This is our assignment for the next 30 years.
We are together on the Baltic Way!
We are ourselves - free, independent, and democratic!
Tegyvuoja Baltija!
Elagu Baltimaa!
Lai dzīvo Baltija!
Long live the Baltics!
