Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at the Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Re-establishment of Lithuanian Independence in Vilnius on 11 March 2010

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It gives me great pleasure to attend this event marking the twentieth anniversary of the re-establishment of Lithuania’s independence.

On this festive occasion, I would like to warmly congratulate the people of Lithuania on behalf of the people of Finland.

We are all well aware that Lithuania’s history as a nation goes back much, much longer. Last July, I had the pleasure to attend the impressive Millennium celebrations held here in Vilnius.

Twenty years ago, the peoples of Europe gave their support to the values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law. They had a vision of genuine cooperation between all the countries and peoples of our continent.

The Lithuanian people were the first in the former Soviet Union to take the bold step to re-establish the independence of their country. That boldness was admired and it affected the developments in Europe.

Now we can say that Lithuania has succeeded well as an independent European country. She has joined the European Union, NATO, and other international and regional organisations.

In Finland we also think of Lithuania as a neighbouring country, sharing the shores of our common Baltic Sea. Good cooperation is needed between all the Baltic Sea countries to restore the healthy natural environment of our sea.

We value the efforts of Lithuania, which is presently chairing the Council of the Baltic Sea States, to enhance the broader cooperation between all the countries in our region.

Let us take this anniversary as an encouragement for the future. We need the encouragement to make our common world better for our children.