The head of state recalled the activities of Otto Tief’s government 80 years previously. “It was the strength of this spirit of resistance to a foreign power that helped us regain our independence and returned us to the ranks of free and democratic countries,” he said. “That is what this day is all about. It also reminds us that Estonia’s existence, its future and the unwavering nature of our resistance depend on each and every one of us right here and now.”
President Karis underscored the importance of recording for posterity, as a part of Estonian history, the stories of those who were forced to flee their homes. He noted that the Estonian Institute of Historical Memory began collecting stories of the mass exodus of 1944 two years ago. “The initial set of data this has created is now available, but still needs to be completed and refined,” he said. “It is definitely worth going through photos, correspondence and documents belonging to your parents, grandparents and other relatives, and donating them to Estonian archives at home or abroad, so that these testimonies to what really happened do not simply vanish into the ether. All of this contributes much to clarifying and preserving our past.”
President Karis also expressed his thanks to those Estonians who kept the spirit and culture of their fatherland alive while away from home. “I consider it very important that our language and songs are still heard here in Estonian House in New York, and that the Estonian school – which will be celebrating its 90th anniversary in exactly one week’s time – is still operating here,” the head of state said.
Gallery (Raigo Pajula/Office of the President of the Republic): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBJwtm
