In their statement, the Baltic and Polish presidents draw attention to the fact that ‘Memorial’, one of the oldest independent organisations of its kind in Russia, seeks to defend human rights in the country and to document Stalin-era crimes throughout the former Soviet Union. “We value very highly the dedication and determination of the staff of ‘Memorial’ in commemorating the victims of the Soviet crimes committed against the people of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and against millions of Russians, Ukrainians and people of other nationalities,” the statement reads. “We greatly admire the work of Russian citizens who are prepared to shine the spotlight on uncomfortable historical truths and speak about the human rights violations inflicted by totalitarian regimes. Theirs is a significant contribution to the shared memory of Europe.”
The heads of state of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland agreed to intensify cooperation in the fight against disinformation and the falsification and rewriting of history. In their statement they emphasised their unity in ensuring that the crimes committed by totalitarian regimes are not erased from historical memory.
