Honourable President of the Republic of Estonia,
Members of the National Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Estonia,
Dear audience,
Latvians and Estonians are close friends, neighbours, and allies. We are united by a century of history. We share common traditions. We share a common history. But above all – we have always shared a desire for freedom. We have always shared a common fight for independence and liberty.
105 years ago, Latvian and Estonian soldiers fought one of the decisive battles that paved the way to securing the independence of our states. The soldiers of that time did not have the uniforms, the weapons and equipment that is at the disposal of our armed forces today. However, the soldiers back then and our modern-day armed forces do have some things in common – a high level of professionalism, a love for their homeland and the will to fight for the freedom and independence of their state and their nation to the very end.
We understand very well that the will to fight for our freedom and independence must exist at all times. We see what is going on in Europe today. We see Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. We see that our independence and freedom is not to everyone’s liking. But both today and daily we attest our willingness to protect these values again and again. We are not alone. Our NATO allies are standing by us, as are our European partners and we are standing by the people and the armed forces of Ukraine in their fight for freedom and independence.
I would like to wish all the best to everyone on this day – Heroes’ Commemoration Day. I would like to wish all the best to our Estonian friends on Victory Day, which they will celebrate tomorrow. And I would like us all to keep in mind that the freedom and independence of our states is intrinsically linked: without a free Estonia, a free Latvia is not possible, nor is a free and independent Estonia possible without a free Latvia.
Long live Latvia! Long live Estonia!
