Kyiv Post | Interfax-Ukraine An Estonian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is going to raise the issue of the country's 'occupation' by the Soviet Union.
The delegation has pointed to the fact that on September 29, 1960, this interparliamentary organization adopted an 'historical resolution' in support of the sovereignty of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, the Estonian parliament's spokesperson told Interfax on Wednesday.
"This was the first document adopted by the European parliamentary assembly, which clearly points to the fact that Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were forcibly occupied by the Soviet Union," the parliamentary official said.
"The resolution of September 29, 1960, adopted on the 20th anniversary of the forcible incorporation of the Baltic States says that the annexation did not reflect the wishes of the people, and expresses sympathy for the Baltic peoples in their plight and acknowledges that the majority of governments of the free world still recognizes the de-jure independent existence of our States," the Estonian parliament said.
The resolution also called for the PACE member states' governments to help Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian refugees maintain their culture and language.
Later similar documents were adopted in 1963 and 1987, the Estonian parliament recalled.
The resolution must serve as an example for current European MPs as well, said Andres Herkel, head of the Estonian delegation to the PACE.
"Members of the Estonian delegation believe that this topic deserves broader attention, which is why they want to broaden awareness about it at the PACE autumn session that starts next week," Herkel said.
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