New Priorities Develop Following NATO Enlargement
Washington, DC (JBANC) ---- The Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) has released a paper outlining strategic goals for future political activity for the Baltic-American communities in the United States.
The initiatives, recently approved by the JBANC Board of Directors, were deemed necessary following the recent admission of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into NATO and the European Union. The NATO enlargement campaign was the main focus over the past decade for the one million strong Baltic-American constituencies.
Main future projects outlined include: bearing witness to the legacy of communism; exporting the “Baltic experience” beyond the Baltics; engaging Russia; and strengthening trans-Atlantic integration and regional cooperation. Coordinated action with other like-minded organizations also remains a vital element of JBANC’s mission, especially during this presidential election year.
Two projects currently underway, as highlighted in the white paper, are the effort to build a memorial to the victims of communism, and support for democratic processes in Belarus.
A public hearing before the commission that oversees planning for memorials in Washington, DC is scheduled to be held on July 29. It is hoped that the green light will be given to a proposed site for the Victims of Communism Memorial on Maryland and Constitution Avenues, a stone’s throw from the U.S. Capitol building. Other international efforts to condemn the crimes of communism are also gaining momentum and will be closely monitored by JBANC.
With regards to Belarus, pending legislation in the U.S. Congress advocates for democratic processes in that country. The Belarus Democracy Act (H.R. 854 and S. 700) supports “the promotion of democracy, human rights, and rule of law” and the “consolidation and strengthening of Belarus sovereignty and independence”. JBANC is working for the passage of that legislation before the critical autumn elections there.
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The strategy paper will be published online shortly on JBANC’s website at: http://jbanc.org. This past week, the website recorded its 100,000th visitor after revamping in August 2000. JBANC represents the Estonian American National Council, Inc., the American Latvian Association, Inc. and the Lithuanian American Council, Inc.
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