At the 74th United Nations General Assembly

Mr President
Mr Secretary General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Brothers and sisters,

40 years ago, 40 years after Europe had been divided between those with power, between those who never hesitated to use this power to the benefit of their own nations and detriment of the others – 45 people from the Baltic States sent out an appeal to the United Nations, to the EU and the countries involved.

Their appeal – later known as the Baltic Memorandum – carried the hope that multilateral co-operation based on the rule of law can deliver for the small occupied states located between the two global blocks, the liberal democratic world and the Soviet Union.

Just 12 years later, the three Baltic States re-joined the world of free and independent states. This was a victory for democracy and multilateral co-operation.

This year, Estonia celebrates the 40-year anniversary of the Baltic Appeal by taking responsibility we could not even dream about during occupation – becoming an elected member of the Security Council of the United Nations.

We took this responsibility because we care. We care about the weaker and the weakest among states and within societies. We care about those whose voice needs amplification by the multilateral world in order to be heard.

We care about nations facing genocide. We care about their women, their children.

We care about nations facing long term conflicts and suffering from terror. We care about their generations of boys for whom the only known profession is that of a soldier.

25.09.2019

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