Washington, DC (JBANC) --- House Baltic Caucus co-chairman John Shimkus (R-IL) has introduced House Concurrent Resolution 128 (H. Con. Res. 128, see text below) on April 12, asking that the Russian Federation clearly state admission and condemnation of the Soviet Union’s illegal occupation and annexation from 1940 to 1991 of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. (JBANC) welcomes the introduction of the legislation and agrees strongly with its language that in atoning for the deeds of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation could begin a new era of friendly, unencumbered relations with its Baltic neighbors.

H. Con. Res. 128 points to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, the marriage between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, as the trigger leading to fifty years of suffering by the Baltic countries at the hands of the Soviet Union. The United States, for its part, steadfastly held to a 50-year policy of non-recognition of the illegal occupation and annexation of the Baltic countries. The Russian Federation unfortunately continues to insist that the Baltic countries voluntarily joined and were “liberated” by the USSR.

With Moscow preparing for festivities on May 9 to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, there is concern that the occasion will be used by the hosts to distort the historical record and deny the imperial legacy of the USSR, especially regarding its Baltic neighbors.

Along with Congressman Shimkus, eight members of the House of Representatives are listed as original co-sponsors of H. Con. Res. 128: Christopher Cox (R-CA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), David Dreier (R-CA), Jack Kingston (R-GA), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), James McGovern (D-MA), Michael Rogers (R-MI).

Rep. McCotter, at the JBANC conference in March, spoke in favor of the legislation, pointing to fears that
Russian President Vladimir Putin and other apologists in today’s Russia are knowingly rehabilitating Stalin’s legacy.

Former Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis ironically likened invitations to the Moscow event as an opportunity for leaders of the former Captive Nations (countries in Central and Eastern Europe that fell under Soviet domination) to celebrate their captivity. The occasion has been a sensitive issue for the Baltics. While Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga has announced she will go to Moscow to better explain this legacy, Lithuania’s Valdas Adamkus and Estonia’s Arnold Rüütel have decided not to attend, for fear of playing into Russia’s hand. President George W. Bush, in a show of U.S. solidarity with the Baltic countries, plans meeting with the three Baltic leaders in Latvia before travelling to Moscow.

JBANC has actively sought the introduction of such a resolution since the publication of its 2004 White Paper and will continue to advocate strongly for its passage. The tragic legacy of the occupation of the Baltic countries terror, mass executions and deportations to Siberian death camps, denial of human rights must not be forgotten, glossed over, or distorted.

The Joint Baltic American National Committee, Inc. represents the Estonian American National Council, Inc., the American Latvian Association, Inc. and the Lithuanian American Council, Inc.


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TEXT of H. Con. Res. 128

HCON 128 IH


109th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. CON. RES. 128


Expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of the Russian Federation should issue a clear and unambiguous statement of admission and condemnation of the illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES





April 12, 2005
Mr. SHIMKUS (for himself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. DREIER, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. COX, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, and Mr. KINGSTON) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations


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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


Expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of the Russian Federation should issue a clear and unambiguous statement of admission and condemnation of the illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Whereas the incorporation in 1940 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union was an act of aggression carried out against the will of sovereign people;

Whereas the United States was steadfast in its policy of not recognizing the illegal Soviet annexation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania;

Whereas the Russian Federation is the successor state to the Soviet Union;

Whereas the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, including its secret protocols, between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union provided the Soviet Union with the opportunity to occupy and annex Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania;

Whereas the occupation brought countless suffering to the Baltic peoples through terror, killings, and deportations to Siberian concentration camps;

Whereas the peoples of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania bravely resisted Soviet aggression first through armed resistance movements and later through political resistance movements;

Whereas the Government of Germany renounced its participation in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 and publicly apologized for the destruction and terror that Nazi Germany unleashed on the world;

Whereas, in 1989, the Congress of Peoples' Deputies of the Soviet Union declared the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 void;

Whereas the illegal occupation and annexation of the Baltic countries is one of the largest remaining unacknowledged incidents of oppression in Russian history;

Whereas a declaration of acknowledgment of such incident by the Russian Federation would lead to improved relations between the people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania and the people of Russia, would form the basis for improved relations between the governments of the countries, and strengthen stability in the region;

Whereas the Russian Federation is to be commended for beginning to acknowledge grievous and regrettable incidents in their history, such as admitting complicity in the massacre of Polish soldiers in the Katyn Forest in 1939;

Whereas the truth is a powerful weapon for healing, forgiving, and reconciliation, but its absence breeds distrust, fear, and hostility; and

Whereas countries that cannot clearly admit their historical mistakes and make peace with their pasts cannot successfully build their futures: Now, therefore, be it


Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the Government of the Russian Federation should issue a clear and unambiguous statement of admission and condemnation of the illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the consequence of which will be a significant increase in good will among the affected peoples and enhanced regional stability.


END




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JOINT BALTIC AMERICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, INC.

Representing:
Estonian American National Council, Inc.
American Latvian Association, Inc.
Lithuanian American Council, Inc.

400 Hurley Avenue
Rockville, MD 20850

Tel: (301) 340-1954
Fax: (301) 309-1406
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Net: http://jbanc.org

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