Joint Statement of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Foreign Ministers on the occasion of 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

Joint Statement of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Foreign Ministers on the occasion of 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

November 9 will mark 30 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It signified the collapse of the Evil Empire in the most direct and decisive way – it was the beginning of the end of communist tyranny in Europe. Tearing down the Berlin Wall let all captive nations return to the family of free and democratic Europe.

We are celebrating how the hope of freedom returned not just to the German people, but to all those who were deprived of justice for decades behind the Iron Curtain. “Wir sind das Volk” – the Germans cheered on the streets 30 years ago. The same message was called out as a single voice from the Baltic to the Adriatic.

We remember that the freedom came at the price. The Berlin Wall remains among history’s darkest symbols of a divided Europe. Many gave their lives and we are eternally grateful to them. Today many people around the world are still fighting for democracy. They would always remind us of the values and principles that are unalienable and protected by us.

We must stand  together to ensure that attempts at dividing European nations and building new walls will never succeed. The unity and strength of Europe cannot be taken for granted as it requests a hard work and wise decisions.